


Deceiver's Legacy

by Dragoness Eclectic (DragonessEclectic)



Series: Raditz's Return AU [12]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Child Murder, Dubious Consent, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-03-27
Packaged: 2018-01-17 06:38:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 92,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1377547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonessEclectic/pseuds/Dragoness%20Eclectic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Novel) Thirty years ago, Raditz's mother Kinoko died fighting the intelligent war machines of Jinkousei. Now, a year after the events of "Mythic Descent", a spaceship from Jinkousei has crashed on Earth, bringing with it a deadly legacy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a year since the cataclysmic events of "Mythic Descent" for Raditz and Goku and Vegeta--which means if you haven't read the earlier stories in this series, particularly "Raditz's Return" and "Mythic Descent", you ought to. Otherwise, this story won't make a whole lot of sense. And yes, this story takes place at the same time as parts of "Yamucha's Student".

At the edge of the Solar System, a tiny spherical ship hurtled through space. Its occupant, a not-quite-human boy named Perejil, slept deep in hibernation, deep in nightmares of metal monsters and flaming death. Perejil's tail twitched spasmodically and wrapped itself tighter around his thin, huddled body as the dreams shifted again... 

Millions of miles away, a squat black wedge of metal sped in swift pursuit; slowly, almost imperceptibly, the black wedge gained on the tiny pod. It had been a very long chase--from the black wedge's home all the way to the tiny pod's programmed destination. Circuitry hummed with electricity as it calculated; the black ship and its master would not catch the tiny pod until it landed. 

Light-years away, the rest of the fleet followed. The intelligences commanding the dull black cylinders neither knew nor cared how the chase fared; their task was only to follow, homing in on the beacon carried by the master's ship. 

* * *

After months of pursuit, the black ship crept ever closer to the tiny space pod, and its computers began to calculate the vectors needed to target and destroy the tiny sphere. The black wedge's weapons were formidable, but very short ranged; it could annihilate cities from orbit, but reaching across half a solar system was far beyond it. 

The black wedge's computers miscalculated; even as they converged on a final solution, the tiny pod decelerated abruptly. It was not evading--it was only slowing down to orbit about its target planet and enter the atmosphere, but the black ship's computers had neglected to plan for their target's deceleration. Too late, the computers compensated, ordering full reverse thrust to the engines; too late, for the black ship could not decelerate as quickly as the tiny pod. It shot past its target, all solutions void, and could only plot a long deceleration loop that would bring it back to the planet and the tiny pod a good five minutes after it had started re-entry. 

If it fired on the pod then, it would be attacking the planet as well. The black ship's computers hit a barrier; the rest of the fleet had not arrived, and the mission plan required the entire fleet to attack the planet itself; the black ship was not to attack alone. The mission plan also required the pod's occupant to be destroyed before it could find allies. The computers concluded that they could not decide; the master must decide. 

"Land. We will catch him on the ground, before he can find the others," the master commanded. 


	2. Chapter 2

# Part I. Naranja

"Die, Kakarott!" A bolt of energy flashed across the field to hit square on and send its target tumbling head over heels until he bounced against a massive, wire-festooned block of machinery. The machine shuddered under the impact, and someone started yelling in the distance. 

"Ow!" Goten said, rubbing his head, sending his spiky black hair into hopeless disarray. "Not so hard; I just learned how to block those things yesterday!" 

Trunks looked over his cupped hands at the younger boy, blinking; his blue eyes were still dazzled from the blast he'd thrown. "Oops! Sorry; I guess I got too excited! You _looked_ like you were catching it..." he said petulantly. 

Goten stood up and brushed his pants off. "I did, but then I dropped it and it knocked me over. I need more practice," he said. 

"Okay! Hyaaaaii!" Trunks hurled another small ki-blast at Goten. 

Goten's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly ducked. The blast shrieked past him to hit the machine and explode, sending metal shrapnel flying. A massive slab of metal screamed past Goten's head, missing him by inches; the blast sent him tumbling head over heels. 

Quickly orienting himself, the young half-Saiyan spun toward a startled Trunks. "Hey! I meant I needed to practice with Gohan and Dad more, you big dummy!" 

The purple-haired boy glared at him, both fists clenched. "Why didn't you tell me that? Now I'll get it for blowing up one of Grandpa's experiments! If you could block my attacks, that wouldn't have happened! I'm in trouble, and it's all your fault!" 

Goten glared back at him, chin stuck forward. "Is not! I didn't try to blast me, you did!" 

"Hey, you knew I was going to do it--that's why you ducked!" Intent on their argument, neither of the boys noticed the angry figure approaching. 

"TRUNKS! GOTEN! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT FIGHTING AT HOME??" Bulma demanded, eyes blazing with fury. Dr. Briefs stood behind her, looking somewhat singed and unhappy; the small black kitten on his shoulder was standing up with its back arched and its fur stood on end. 

"Uh-oh," said Goten. "Nan Bulma's mad!" 

"Oops! Uh, we were just playing and it was an accident?" Trunks smiled sheepishly, raising his arms helplessly. 

Bulma looked skeptical. 

"He's 'Geta and I'm 'Karrot," Goten explained helpfully. 

Trunks winced; they were doomed. 

"I see," said Bulma, eyes narrowing. Trunks was right. 

Engrossed with the matter at hand, none of them noticed the small fireball streak overhead. 

* * *

Nezumi dropped the stack of manuals onto her desk with a thump. She reached for the top one with one hand, pushing her brown hair back out of her eyes with the other. It was time to get her hair cut, she thought--like I have time to go to the salon these days! I can't believe how much work Kidoru had piled up! 

No one had much cared about office computer security--until VirtualBlack broke into Raditz's computer and stole Bulma's files. Then everything had happened at once, and when it was all over, Raditz was in charge of corporate security... and remembered just how much embarassment VirtualBlack's little break-in had caused him. (The iron bar Bulma laid alongside his head may have sharpened his memory on that particular matter). The big man knew next to nothing about computers or computer security, but he did know how to hire someone who did and have him teach Raditz's people how to handle it. Since Nezumi was the only one in the security office who actually _liked_ tinkering with computers, she soon found herself in charge of computer security. 

The short, brown-haired woman stared blankly at the first page of the system manual, not really seeing it. Hiregumi-san would never have given me this job, she thought. He was a dear, sweet, wise man, but he never believed that a woman could supervise men in this kind of work. Raditz is so different that way--he honestly doesn't seem to know that some kind of jobs have always been men's work. Comes from being an alien, I guess... 

I wish he wasn't so alien when it came to _me_ , though. Does he care about me, or not? I can't figure him out. After the earthquake and the demon, I thought that he did--but now he's always so _professional_ toward me. It's like he doesn't want me to get too close to him, or him to me--but why? I don't understand! 

Nezumi frowned and put the manual down, unable to concentrate. She rubbed her eyes. About that time Raditz walked by Nezumi's office and stopped just outside the door. 

"Nezumi! Bulma wants to brief us right now on the security of Dr. Brief's latest project--something about accidental trespassers." He sounded both annoyed and bored. 

Nezumi glanced up at Raditz, a pert smile on her face. All that greeted her was an impatient scowl. She sighed very quietly and put the manual down, rising to her feet at the same time. 

"On my way, chief!" 

* * *

A little bit later, Raditz stood with his arms folded and his face expressionless as Bulma explained her father's latest project. His tail was curled loosely around the waist of his dark jeans; the tip twitched restlessly as he listened. Nezumi stood quietly beside him, jotting notes down on her handcomp. 

Trunks and Goten sat in opposite corners of the room, facing the wall; their huddled shoulders suggested extreme embarassment. What had they done this time? Raditz switched his attention back to Bulma. 

"...anyway, while he's testing the new field generator, make sure no one wanders across the field--especially," Bulma paused to glare at the two children, "little brats! Dad's not sure how far the effects extend, but better to be safe than sorry," Bulma concluded, irritatedly pushing a stray wisp of blue hair out of her face. 

Raditz thought that she must have been working very hard indeed on Dr. Brief's latest invention for her hair to get out of control like that. The only other time he'd seen Bulma the least bit disheveled was during the big earthquake... 

_Memories of blue hair tickling his nose, her warm body pressed against his chest as sobs shook her body, his own shock at how much he desired this fragile, human woman..._

No! Raditz firmly shoved the memories away. There was no future in such thoughts. He kept his face impassive, unaware that his long tail had uncurled and was switching slowly from side to side underneath the cover of his knee-length hair. 

"Hmmph!" Vegeta snorted, straightening up from his usual lean against the wall. "If anyone is fool enough to wander through one of Brief's experiments, they deserve what happens to them." In spite of his callous words, he, too, glared at the children. 

Vegeta brushed a hand across Bulma's shoulder, letting his fingertips linger possessively on the curve of her arm for just a moment. No, reflected Raditz, no future at all. 

Bulma rolled her eyes in disgust. "Maybe on Vegetasei, but that's not the way we do things here, Vegeta! Raditz seems to understand that, even if you don't." Bulma looked anxiously at the long-haired Saiyan. "Right, Raditz?" 

Raditz smirked very slightly and shrugged. "Not really, but I know what you want done. It'll be taken care of." He fought back the urge to salute Bulma Saiyan-fashion, nodded, and left, never noticing Nezumi's narrowed eyes as he once again wrapped his tail tightly around his waist. 

Behind him, Raditz could hear Bulma complaining to Vegeta, "Why do I have to explain why we do things this way to you all the time? Why can't you just accept it, like Raditz?" 

Raditz knew what Vegeta's answer would be before he heard it: "Woman, Raditz 'accepts' it, as you put it, because he is a warrior and knows his duty is to follow orders without question. I am the Prince of all Saiyans, woman--I do not follow orders, I give them." 

Is that so, Prince Vegeta? Raditz savored the irony of his current position. Death freed me from all oaths to you, Vegeta, but I freely chose to make one new one; I promised to protect Bulma _until you_ _returned_. You've forgotten that. I wonder when you'll realize that I _obey_ no one? 

* * *

"I don't believe it!" Nezumi muttered as she stapled the "DANGER -- AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" signs to the posts near the roped-off area of tarmac. She slammed the power stapler into the sign as if it were a hammer, scowling furiously all the while. 

I can't believe he's looking at Ms. Bulma that way! Nezumi thought to herself. I saw the way his tail was twitching--it was the same way it did when I gave him popcorn that night. I couldn't see his eyes today, but I bet he was looking at _her_ the same way he was looking at me that night! I can't believe Raditz is that much of a jerk! Vegeta isn't exactly blind--but then, he puts up with Yamucha hanging around when he's got to know that Yamucha is Bulma's ex, so maybe he doesn't care as long as Bulma doesn't. Still, Raditz shouldn't be looking at Bulma that way--it isn't right! 

Well, that explains why he's so indifferent to me--he's thinking about Bulma all the time! Nezumi furiously stapled the last sign to its post. So, she asked herself, just what are you going to do about it, girl? Try harder to attract his attention, or give up on him? That student of Yamucha's, Saisei, _is_ awfully cute... and he isn't the only other guy in the universe. And why do I bother worrying about men anyway? It isn't like I really need them! 

Nezumi sighed as she walked back to the maintenance shed and put her tools away. Saisei is really, adorably cute... but he isn't Raditz. She closed her eyes, remembering the warm, comforting strength of Raditz's arms as he carried her across the city, high above the terror and ruin of the earthquake. 

It would be nice not to be alone, to have someone care about me and only me in that special way. 

"Meow?" 

Nezumi looked down, suddenly distracted from her thoughts of Raditz. A small, gray kitten peeked out at her from behind the shed. 

"Oh, my!" She crouched down to look the little kitten in the eye. It was scrawny, and dirty and looked up at her with big, hopeful eyes. "You're hungry, aren't you?" She picked up the kitten and cuddled it. "Let's see if we can find you something to eat." 

* * *

Lina shook her head as Nezumi entered the office carrying the gray kitten. "Found another stray?" 

Nezumi nodded. "Poor thing, it's all skin and bones. Do we still have some cream in the refrigerator?" 

"Yeah, I think so. 'Zumi, there's got to be hundreds of strays living under the factory building. You can't take them all home!" Lina said with the mildest hint of exasperation; she was used to Nezumi bringing home stray kittens and lost puppies and injured birds. 

Nezumi frowned at Lina. "Well, I'm not bringing them _all_ home--just the ones that I find that need help. Anyway, I don't want to take this little fellow away from his home and family; I'll just feed him outside the back door." 

"You're just turning him into a beggar, 'Zumi. The factory cats hunt rats and mice; if you feed him, he won't hunt for a living and he'll starve when you aren't here," Lina argued weakly. 

"Lina! Take a look at him." Nezumi held the gray kitten out for Lina to look at. "He's barely bigger than a mouse, himself! Are you really expecting this little fellow to hunt for himself already?" 

"Okay, okay! Just don't expect me to feed him, and if you bring him home, you clean up his messes!" Lina surrendered. 

The outside door screeched as Raditz shoved it open and entered. He glanced at the two women and the current object of their attention. "Eating in again?" 

"RADITZ!" Lina and Nezumi screamed as one. Nezumi held the kitten close to her, one hand sheltering it protectively as she glared indignantly at the big Saiyan. 

Raditz smirked with amusement and disappeared into his office. 

Lina and Nezumi stared at each other. "I _think_ he was joking," Lina said, finally breaking the silence. 

"I hope you're right; sometimes I'm not so sure. Here, hold the little furball for me; I'm going to make a batch of popcorn--just in case." 

* * *

Raditz glanced up from the book he was reading (he was still working his way through _World History_ ) when Nezumi brought in a big bowl of fresh popcorn. He'd heard it popping, and the smell of it already tantalized his nostrils and set his mouth to watering. 

He smirked. "I wasn't going to eat the creature, you know." Raditz still wasn't certain what the connection between the two women and numerous young animals was, but he was pretty sure they weren't meant for food. Not since the first time, when he had asked in all seriousness if they were planning on cooking the puppy for lunch, or if it was one of those foods eaten raw, like _sushi_. He winced at the memory of the abuse his highly sensitive Saiyan ears had endured. 

Nezumi made a tiny shrug. "Well, you looked like you might be hungry, and I was going by the microwave anyway..." She bowed her head, apparently looking at the popcorn, letting the short, brown hair framing her round face fall forward, half-obscuring her eyes. Raditz could see the glint of her eyes as she watched him from behind her wayward bangs. 

Raditz glanced down at the popcorn, momentarily at a loss. If she were another Saiyan, it would be up to him now to respond to her attempts to court him--but Nezumi was human. She couldn't possibly know the customs--but that look in her eye! She _was_ trying to catch his interest--or was he imagining it, seeing what he wanted to see whether it was really there or not? 

And why would she being trying to get his attention here and now? Human custom seemed to frown on romances between workers, or between superior and subordinate--but where did they meet each other, then? Besides, half of Capsule Corporation seemed to be married to each other; the wives who worked outside the home all seemed to work for the same master as their husbands. Raditz couldn't follow the subtleties--Kidoru had been roundly despised for his former attempts to seduce his subordinates, but ever since he arrived, Raditz could have sworn the same two women were trying to seduce him! 

Raditz retreated into professionalism. "Thank you... Miss O'Neil." Raditz looked up at her, the smirk gone, his face impassive. 

Her eyes widened, and Raditz thought he saw a brief tremor cross her lip, and then she straightened up. "You're welcome... sir." Her face as impassive as his, she turned on her heel and left his office, closing the door behind her. She pushed it perhaps harder than she intended, because it slammed shut with a loud "bang!" that echoed through the building. 

Crud! I think I caught that signal, Raditz thought. She _was_ interested, she's been dropping hints for weeks, and I didn't quite tell her to get lost. Why can't I ever say the right thing? First Kakarott, now her--I have a talent for pissing off people I... like. 

And then there's Bulma--or rather, Vegeta. Why do I have these thoughts about Bulma _still_? I thought I had put that to rest, after Deputy nearly killed me. After I failed to protect Trunks, after returning to Hell, after the battle with Cacodemon... after Vegeta returned. What kind of fool am I? 

Raditz stood and looked out the window. This room suddenly seemed too small for thinking. Raditz wolfed down the popcorn and rushed out the door, letting it slam behind him. Caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't notice Lina's anxious, confused face, nor the closed door to her office that Nezumi rarely closed. 

Raditz brooded as he walked aimlessly around the compound. I'm too weak to challenge Vegeta for Bulma, and Bulma sees only him no matter what. There's nothing more pathetic than a weakling skulking about lusting after a stronger warrior's woman, and that's what I've become. Fool! 

A dead fool, if I can't control my desire better--Vegeta will smell it on me, and that will be it for me. I don't really want to go back to Hell so soon--actually I don't want to go back at all! Though with my talent for doing the wrong thing, the only way to stay out of Hell might be to wish myself immortal with the dragonballs. Heh. Raditz smirked sardonically to himself. Yeah, right. Like I want to be stuck with my mistakes and limitations for all eternity... 

KRAK-BOOM! 

Raditz noticed the sonic boom, and looked up just in time to see the flaming black wedge of a spacecraft flash across the sky and disappear beyond the hills to the east. "What the hell?" 


	3. Chapter 3

When he returned from running errands in town for his mother, Gohan found Goten and Trunks sitting glumly on a bench in the garden, watching the dinosaurs walk by. 

"What happened? I thought you two would be playing outside!" The older half-Saiyan boy was fourteen (fifteen, really) and had nearly reached his adult height, though he was still slim, not yet filled out with the solid muscle he would have by the time he entered senior high school. He moved with an easy grace; there was no trace of the usual adolescent awkwardness. Eleven years of martial arts training had seen to that. 

Goten cringed and tried to hide behind Trunks. "You tell him," Goten urged his lavender-haired friend. 

Trunks looked at the ground instead of at Gohan. "We, uh, got in a little bit of trouble." 

Gohan broke out in a cold sweat. Chi-chi had made him responsible for his little brother; what had he done, and how would mom react when she found out? "What kind of trouble?" He asked cautiously. 

"We were just playing," Goten said plaintively. "And it wasn't my fault that Trunks blew up Dr. Brief's 'speriment!" 

Gohan paled. "You blew up something??" 

"Not me!" Goten said indignantly. "Trunks did! But Nan Bulma said we couldn't play outside anymore, and we can't really play in here." 

"Huh? Why not?" asked Gohan, puzzled. 

"'Cause we don't want to play girl games, we want to spar. Mom said we can't spar anywhere but in the gravity chamber, 'cause I do too much damage and we're too little to go off in the country by ourselves like your dad," Trunks explained. "Only Papa is always using the chamber, and when he's not using it, Raditz is." 

Gohan scratched his head. "That's pretty simple to solve; come visit us and spar at my house. As long as you don't wreck the house, we're far enough out in the country that it should be okay." 

Goten jumped up, smiling. "Oooh, can we?" He looked at Trunks encouragingly. "Mom knows some really neat moves, maybe she could teach you, too!" 

"Huh?" Gohan blinked. "Mom's been teaching you?" 

Goten nodded. "Yeah, Dad's been spending all his time sparring with you an' training Uncle Raditz, so Mom's teaching me the basics." Goten struck a pose, then slipped into a fighting stance. "See!" 

"I see!" Gohan said, eyes wide. 

Trunks sniffed. "Papa has been teaching me how to fight like a Saiyan! One of these days I'll be strong enough to train with him in the gravity chamber at full strength!" 

Goten looked thoughtful. "I bet we could train with Uncle Raditz in the gravity chamber!" 

Trunks considered the idea. "We probably could; he's not as strong as Papa, and he doesn't turn the gravity up so high." 

Gohan looked nervous; he'd made his own peace with Raditz, but he knew Chi-chi still did not approve of her long-haired brother-in-law. "I'm not sure Mom would agree, so let's just plan on sparring at our house next time, okay?" 

KRAK-BOOM! Everyone jumped as a sonic boom cracked; a big black wedge wreathed in flames flashed by overhead. 

"Wow!" Goten's eyes were wide. "What was that??" 

Trunks squinted at it. "I think it was a spaceship!" He levitated into the air for a better look. "It's way over there--oops, there it goes. I can't see it any more." Power gathered in Trunk's aura as he prepared to fly after it. 

"HEY! No fair!" yelled Goten. "I can't fly! You gotta take me with you!" 

"Goten, I can't fly carrying you, you know that!" Trunks looked down at his little friend with some exasperation. 

"Hey! No one is going anywhere!" exclaimed Gohan. "It might be dangerous!" 

"But--" 

"No." Gohan asserted his authority as the near-adult of the group. 

Trunks folded his arms and scowled. "I don't see why not! We're Saiyans, and I'm the young prince! We're not scared of any aliens!" 

Gohan raised one eyebrow. "That's exactly why you're staying here! The last time a big spaceship came to Earth it belonged to Frieza and King Cold. This is your father's business and mine and Dad's until we know what's going on." 

Goten shivered, and Trunks looked nervous. Frieza was a very bad name in the family stories. 

Only a few minutes later, Raditz found them. He was already dressed in his black and white armor instead of the dark jeans, silver-grey shirt, and black Capsule Corp jacket they usually saw him in. Even as he walked toward the three boys, Raditz fitted his scouter over his ear and tapped on the main control, glancing toward the east, where the black wedge had vanished over the horizon. 

"Nunk Rats, did you see it? Trunks says it was a spaceship!" Goten ran to his uncle excitedly. 

"Yes, I saw it," Raditz said. One look at his serious face told the boys that Raditz would be no help, either; his next words confirmed it. "Trunks, go to your mother and _stay_ there; Bulma will go nuts if she doesn't know where you are. Goten, you go with Gohan. Gohan, take him home and ask Goku to meet us; Vegeta and I will investigate the ship." 

"Yes, sir," Gohan said, looking slightly disappointed. 

Trunks jumped up. "Hey! Can I go with Goten? That'll be lots more fun than sitting around here, and you know it would be okay with Mom!" 

Goten brightened up. "Yeah! Please, Uncle Raditz, Gohan? Pleeeeease?" 

"For goodness' sake, Raditz, let him go with Gohan and Goten!" said Bulma as she joined them. "With both you and Vegeta gone, there's no way I'll be able to keep him from driving dad crazy--that's if he doesn't manage to send himself to another dimension by jumping on the wrong experiment at the wrong time," Bulma said with some exasperation. 

"You're still upset about this morning?" Raditz looked slightly surprised. 

Bulma put her hands on her hips and glared at Trunks. "Well, yes! Dad had been working on that experiment for months, and now he'll have to re-build the whole thing! Not to mention Goten was nearly turned into a pancake!" Bulma pushed back her still disarrayed hair; the very tip of Raditz's tail twitched back and forth. 

Raditz stiffened. "Goten... was hurt?" 

"No, but it missed him by about an inch!" Bulma waved her arms around. "Some of dad's experiments aren't exactly safe to just blunder into and start throwing gigajoules of energy randomly about, you know!" 

"I think there's some details Mom doesn't need to know," Gohan muttered. 

"I ducked good," Goten volunteered. 

"I agree; it would be a very good idea if Trunks stayed at your house for a while," said Raditz. His tail shifted nervously about his waist. "And I think Chi-chi should know every single detail." Raditz smirked cruelly as he looked at the two suddenly worried children. 

"But Mom will ground both of them for a year, and probably me, too!" Gohan protested. 

"Exactly," Raditz agreed, still smirking. "But at least she'll feed you well." 

* * *

Miles away, Perejil pushed the hatch open and scrambled out of the crater made by the pod's landing. At his age, flying still took a lot of energy, and he wanted to stretch his legs anyway. At the lip of the crater, the Saiyan boy looked around. The thickly-matted grass at his feet was green, but not so biliously green as the jungles of Jinkousei. The air was different, too--it smelled better, cleaner, and was definitely cooler. He uncurled his tail and took a deep breath, swishing the cramped appendage from side to side. 

He'd made it! He was here, wherever 'here' was, away from Jinkousei, away from... away from... Perejil wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. "Zana!" he whispered; tears gathered in his eyes. He swiped vaguely at his eyes with one hand, pushing back from his eyes part of his explosion of neck-length, black, spikey hair. 

Saiyans did not cry; crying was weak. He would not cry. He and his sister Zana had made the decision, knowing one of them would not make it, but the other would survive. Either he would be pursued and killed, while Zana hid back on Jinkousei, or--Perejil shuddered--Zana would be hunted to her death on Jinkousei while her brother got away. 

"ZANA!" A single shout of rage and grief tore the sky. Perejil clenched his fists; someday, when he was strong enough, he'd go back to Jinkousei and-- 

WHIRRR-CLANK! WHIRRR-CLANK! 

A horribly familiar sound cut across his thoughts. Perejil whirled to face the source of the sound, sudden terror gripping his heart. He caught a glimpse of massive, crab-like metal legs-- 

ZZAAAKKKK! 

Twin plasma beams slammed into his back, lifting Perejil and flinging what was left of him to the ground, yards away. I can't feel anything, he thought, staring at the hand resting next to his face. The hand might have been his; it was charred down to the bone. Shouldn't it hurt? 

The heavy tread of the crab-like warbots shook the ground; Perejl could feel them drawing near. I'm sorry, father, he thought; I was too weak. I couldn't fight them-- They followed me! Me! Not Zana! The sudden realization struck him with the impact of revelation. Zana is safe! 

Then the world turned white-- 

* * *

Vegeta sensed the fight long before they could see the explosions, and frowned. The power he was sensing--it was weak, strangely familiar, yet unknown. It felt like... a Saiyan; a Saiyan he did not know. For a moment, he thought he'd sensed _two_ Saiyans, but no, there was only the one. "Impossible!" he snarled to himself. The Prince of the Saiyans turned his head toward his companion. "Raditz, what does your scouter show?" 

Raditz hurtled through the air just behind and to the right of Vegeta. They were alone; Gohan was taking Goten and Trunks to his house, and Kakarott had not yet joined them. Raditz touched his scouter controls prefunctorily; he'd been monitoring the readings since they left Capsule Corp and didn't really need an update. 

"Low power, around 4800 or so, fighting something with no ki. I'm picking up energy readings from some kind of power plant, so whoever it is may be fighting either robots or weak guys in powered armor." "I thought I sensed another ki--" The long-haired Saiyan tuned his scouter again. "No, no other life forms bigger than grass around--must be robots." 

Vegeta chuckled. "Low power? _You_ used to call 4800 'elite'--but even my father was low powered compared to me!" 

Raditz frowned, looking at Vegeta. "Compared to you and Kakarott, 4800 is weak--the children will soon be that strong!" 

Vegeta looked at Raditz with interest. "So you've been taking readings with that scouter of yours! Is Trunks stronger than Goten?" 

Raditz smirked. "Yeah, of course." 

"Of course." Vegeta lifted his head, haughty and proud. "Have you bothered to turn that thing on yourself and check your own power lately?" 

Raditz licked his lips. "Yes." 

"And--?" 

"I'm a lot stronger than I should be. I thought the calibration was wrong at first, but Bulma double-checked it against the readings she took with my original scouter years ago. I know I've been through a lot, but I can't figure--" 

Vegeta laughed. "You are the only Saiyan I ever knew who'd _complain_ about being too strong!" 

Raditz looked back, confused. "Vegeta! I'm as strong as the damn Ginyu Force soldiers! I've gone way beyond Saiyan limits; I'm stronger than _you_ were, back then!" He cringed, realizing what he'd just said. 

Vegeta merely smirked. "But you're still the weakling, aren't you? Your little brother is so damn much stronger--and so am I." 

"Yes," Raditz growled. "And you're Super-Saiyan. I'm not." 

"Of course I am." Vegeta looked ahead, toward their destination, dismissing the topic with one gesture. 

* * *

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! 

Multiple explosions cascaded along the ground; white-hot plasma beams lanced up towards the tiny, dark figure in the sky. The figure zigged and zagged between the furious bolts of plasma, flinging ball after ball of energy down to explode amid moving glints of metal. 

As they hurtled closer, Raditz could make out more details: armor, legs, arms, humanoid figure, and below it the shattered hulk of a great black metal wedge, smoke boiling from the ruins. Off to one side, a large, fresh crater holding the familiar shape of a one-man space pod. In between, things like huge metal crabs scuttled and sometimes stood still, raising stubby lances from which the plasma bolts lashed out. 

Things like black metal wasps snarled through the air; the figure tossed a spray of small energy bursts at several that came too close to it. As Raditz and Vegeta stopped with sudden flashes of dispersed power, a wing of the small aerial robots peeled away from the main swarm harassing the lone warrior and darted straight for them. 

Raditz dodged up and to one side, far faster than the swarming machines, which overshot and twisted like snakes trying to chase him--but only for a second. Vegeta had not bothered to dodge, but merely raised his ki, daring the impudent robots to do their worst. 

WHAAAAM! 

They exploded as one; everything turned white in the tremendous blast--the shockwave staggered Raditz, rocking him like a boat turned bow-first into the storm. The stranger fared far worse--he tumbled like a leaf in a hurricane, flung helplessly through the air to crash into the ground not far beyond the crab-robots. Intensely hot air blasted over Raditz, followed by flying grit and choking dust. His ears rang; he hadn't shielded them quite enough for the unexpectedly powerful blast. 

"Crud! That was sub-nuclear!" Raditz cursed, and turned to look where Vegeta had been. As he expected, when the smoke cleared, Vegeta was standing calmly in mid-air, his arms folded across his chest, a bored expression on his face, completely untouched. Not one black hair had stirred from its proper place. 

The remainder of the flying metal wasps had vanished, wiped from the air by the detonation of their companions. Not so the crabs; they had hunkered down during the blast and were now advancing relentlessly on the downed stranger, plasma beams lancing ahead of them to slam into the warrior now scrambling to his feet. The strange warrior seemed to be in trouble; his arms were crossed over his face and all he did was fend off the bolts with a ki-block. 

Raditz double-tapped his scouter. The stranger's power level had dropped down to about 4000, and was still dropping. "Vegeta..." 

"The weakling!" Vegeta snorted with contempt. "Anyone who can't handle mindless machines and a few tac nukes isn't worth my time. I'm embarassed that you sent for Kakarott; there's nothing here even _you_ couldn't handle!" 

That wasn't the reason I sent for Goku, Raditz thought, noting in passing that Vegeta had picked up even human military jargon from Bulma. It was ironic that a race as weak, as frail as humans considered sub-sized nuclear warheads to be mere "tactical" devices. Most races considered them to be anti-spacecraft weapons, though those who faced Saiyans found them to be barely adequate as squad support weapons. They were, however, adequate enough; a sub-nuke could take out a whole squad if the Saiyans were careless. Saiyans rarely were that careless; when facing technologically advanced opponents, they landed on nights of the full moon. 

The massive, highly refractive armor on the crab-like warbots combined with their powerful plasma beamers told Raditz enough; these were exactly that kind of opponent--and there was no full moon in sight. The power those blasts packed could easily kill an untransformed second- or third-class Saiyan; the wounded elite down there was in serious trouble. 

Elite? Raditz realized the import of what his senses had been telling him. 

"Vegeta! That's a SAIYAN! Crud!" Raditz dove, pouring his own immense, far-beyond-Saiyan power into pure speed. Down he plunged to grab the wounded elite around the waist, then swooped up just as dozens of plasma bolts blasted into the spot he'd just left. The ground vaporized into smoke and magma; Raditz hovered high above, his arm locked around the elite's waist embarassingly close to his tail. No, not _his_ tail, Raditz realized as he felt certain curves brushing against his arm, and looked at the surprised face turned up toward his own-- _her_ tail. 


	4. Chapter 4

"What the--Rings and Moon!" The Saiyan woman stared at Raditz, astonishment changing rapidly to consternation. "Who are--?" 

"BIG BAANGGG ATTACK!" Vegeta's battle-cry rang out as he flung a huge ball of energy at the swarming robots. 

The woman jerked her head abruptly to one side as her scouter exploded and the world disappeared in white fury again. 

"Crud!" Raditz raised his ki-shield and twisted around, putting his body and energy between Vegeta's blast and the much weaker woman. "I wish he'd--" Raditz's words were lost in the colossal blast that tossed him like a leaf. He tumbled out of control through the air, batted around by the blast wave until it was spent, and the big Saiyan and his charge could finally flutter to the ground like the same leaf coming to rest. 

"--give me a millisecond's warning for once," Raditz concluded as he gently released the shocked woman. 

She sprang back, pushing herself away from Raditz as if he were something unclean, and looked him up and down. "Who are you??" she asked accusingly, with a tantalizingly familiar accent. 

She was at least as old as Raditz, suspended in that indeterminate age when a a Saiyan shows neither obvious youth nor encroaching age--an age that Vegeta had only entered in the last few years, and that Raditz had been for over twenty years. Her hair was slightly longer than the usual extra-short cut once favored by female soldiers and it stuck out in typically Saiyan spikes. Her face was strong and boldly cut; not beautiful or pretty according to the standards of feminine beauty last prevalent on Vegetasei, but not unpleasing to the eye. It was marred only by the sour twist of her lips as she regarded Raditz. 

Raditz knew that her real question was "Who are you to dare to touch me?" He could not miss the marks of authority and nobility on her brown and dark blue armor. With that, Raditz placed her accent, the accent of an Eastern noble, an accent heard many times during his nearly-forgotten youth, when he was a cadet guard in the Royal Palace. 

He smirked ever so slightly. "I am Raditz, formerly of the Royal Guard--" 

"Raditsu!" she hissed, using the archaic Eastern form of his name. Sudden hatred flashed across her face as she snarled, "Kinoko's get, are you not? Do not deny it, you have her hair!" 

Raditz blinked, surprised at the bitter anger in her voice. "I am the son of Bardock and Kinoko, yes--" Again Raditz was surprised as the woman flinched at Bardock's name. 

"You should be dead," she snapped, that strange resentment still shading her voice. "I heard your dying breath..." She turned her head to look at the figure flying leisurely toward them. Her eyes widened; the crested hair was unmistakble, yet still she asked. "Who--?" 

Raditz smirked again. "His _Royal_ Highness, Prince Vegeta of Vegetasei and the Saiyanjin, Lady...?" 

The Saiyan noblewoman ignored him; she had eyes only for Vegeta. Raditz heard her say, "But he's supposed to be dead as well; he was on Namek when Frieza destroyed it!" 

Vegeta settled in front of the woman and regarded her silently for a moment, lifted eyebrows his only sign of curiousity as she slowly dropped to one knee and brought one hand up to her chest in the traditional salute. 

"Well, what have we here?" the Saiyan prince finally drawled, his arms folded across his chest. 

"I am Lady Naranja of the Tsufurujiti," the woman answered, "formerly of Chaeerou Neewha, last assigned to command the Jinkousei purge." 

Jinkousei! The name hit Raditz like a blow; he struggled to keep his face impassive. Fortunately, Lady Naranja's eyes were turned respectfully to the ground, and her sidelong glances were only towards Vegeta. 

Jinkousei, the machine world: though he'd never seen it, never met a single inhabitant, no world besides Vegetasei itself had affected Raditz's earlier life more. It was a world of ill-omen; his mother Kinoko had died on Jinkousei. 

Prince Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "And those?" With a precise gesture of his white-gloved hand, Vegeta indicated the huge crater where the vaporized robots and their ship had been. The tiny Saiyan pod had also vanished; the rim of the great crater filled in the small crater where it had been. 

"My ship!" Naranja exclaimed in momentary dismay, then recovered her composure. "Those were warbots from Jinkousei, my prince. I finally rebuilt my pod and damaged enough of their cursed space defense network to escape the world, but they managed to track and pursue me." 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed again. "You survived nearly thirty years, but did not purge the world you were on?" 

Raditz thought that the cutting scorn he heard in Vegeta's voice was a bit hypocritical, given that Vegeta had lived comfortably for several years on a world he hadn't purged, either, but Raditz wisely kept the thought to himself. 

Lady Naranja bowed her head in submission; sweat beaded on her forehead. "No, my prince, and yes. There were no living intelligences on Jinkousei, my prince--only their mindless war machines. For thirty years my squad was stranded on Jinkousei, fighting the machines. At first we hoped to win, and had no thought of escape, but over the years my squad was killed, one by one, until only I, the most powerful, remained. During that time I monitored the standard frequencies, and I heard enough to know that a few Saiyans still survived; I set my pod's coordinates for the one world that might have surviving Saiyans." She looked up suddenly at Vegeta. "From what I intercepted, my prince, I believed that Raditsu was dead, and you also slain on Namek; only Marshal Nappa and the third-class Kakarott might have survived here." 

"Nappa... is dead," Vegeta said softly. He indicated with a gesture that she might rise. "As you can see, I live, as does my loyal guardsman Raditz. As for Kakarott..." Vegeta smirked. "Whether he is alive or dead matters little as far as he is concerned." 

Lady Naranja rose to her feet and looked down at the prince, a cold, arrogant smile born of complete misunderstanding on her face. "Of course," she said. "He was only a low-born third-class, and if I heard the reports I intercepted correctly," here she glanced at Raditz, "a tailless one who consorted with vermin." 

Vegeta frowned and stared hard at the woman, a cold, hard stare that would have terrified Raditz if he were the target of it--he knew Vegeta all too well. 

"Not all who lack tails are weakling vermin, _woman_ ," the short, powerful Saiyan prince said, deliberately omitting her name and title. "Only power matters; you would do well to remember that." 

Lady Naranja flushed at the insult; her hands clenched half-involutarily. She bowed her head. "Yes, my prince. What is your command, now that I am here?" 

Vegeta regarded her speculatively, the ghost of a cruel smile playing around his lips. After long moments, he appeared to dismiss whatever speculations he had pursued and gave her a hard stare. "This is _my_ world, Naranja, and it lives at my pleasure," Vegeta stated with cold arrogance. 

Lady Naranja saluted. "Yes, Prince Vegeta. I understand." Killing any being without orders or permission from Vegeta would infringe on the prince's perogatives, an insult that would surely bring immediate punishment. 

"You will accompany Raditz back to my... dwelling place, and quarters will be given to you. Beyond that, you will wait and learn while I decide how best to make use of you." 

She saluted again. "Yes, Prince Vegeta. It shall be as you have commanded." 

* * *

"Dad!" Gohan yelled as he dropped into the front yard holding Goten under one arm and a sack of groceries under the other. Trunks dropped down beside him, smirking triumphantly. He could fly under his own power! "Oh mom, here's your groceries." 

Chi-chi took the bag from Gohan and frowned slightly. "Is Trunks staying for dinner?" 

"Yes, Raditz and Vegeta are both checking out this spaceship and Bulma asked me to take Trunks home with Goten--where's dad? I need to tell him..." Gohan stopped and smiled nervously; Chi-chi was scowling fiercely. "It's probably nothing, mom, really--" 

"Put Goten down and tell your father whatever you need to tell him, but you come right back!" Chi-chi folded her arms. "I can't stop your father from doing whatever he thinks he has to do, but you will _not_ be running off and missing your lessons for months on end again! Is that understood?" 

Gohan looked even more nervous. "Yes, ma'am! I'm don't want to get behind again, not after all that extra tutoring you had to do to get me caught up." 

"Gohan! Chi-Chi! Goten!" Goku's cheery voice rang out as he trotted down the path from the mountains, a huge fish slung over his shoulder. He smiled as he noticed Trunks. "Guess it's a good thing I caught an extra big fish, eh, Chi-chi? Hey, Trunks! Vegeta teaching you any new moves?" 

"Yes," Trunks said proudly. "He's teaching me to fight like a Saiyan!" 

"Hey, that's great! You an' Goten could spar, I bet! I know a couple good places, and so does Gohan." 

"Yep!" Trunks smirked and he nudged his younger friend. "Your dad is cool," he whispered. 

"Dad, I came back early because there might be trouble," Gohan said, suddenly serious. "Another spaceship has come, and Raditz and Vegeta went to check it out. Raditz wanted you to be there, too." 

"Ah, yep. I saw it," Goku said, also serious. "Felt it. There's another Saiyan, a bad one." 

"Another _Saiyan_??" Gohan asked, astonished. "I couldn't feel it!" 

"Not strong, like Vegeta. Feel for someone weaker, like Nappa or Raditz used to be." 

Gohan calmed himself and listened, felt. "I sense Vegeta--he's all powered up... maybe Raditz... " Gohan shook his head. "I can't really pick out anyone else. Even Raditz is hard to sense; he's hiding most of his power." 

"I can; it's not strong, but it's evil..." Goku furrowed his brow, anger lurked there. "...as evil as Vegeta was. Just as much blood and death..." He put two fingers to his brow. "Tell Chi-chi not to wait for me to feed you two; I might be late." Goku vanished in a flicker of light. 

"But dad..." Gohan looked at the spot where his father had vanished. I wanted to go, too! Gohan thought. Well, I guess I'm needed here, to protect Mom and the kids. 

* * *

Lady Naranja watched Vegeta hurtle toward the horizon in a blaze of power, then glared contemptuously at Raditz. "Is your power so weak that you must spend the next hour resting before you can fly, or is there some other reason for delaying me?" she sneered. 

Raditz could hear the threat in her voice, read it in her posture and face: I am an elite of the nobility, and you are a mere low-born weakling; displease me, and your death will be immediate and painful. The habit of long years pushed at him to stay impassive, to defer to the noblewoman, to humble himself as he had been trained to, so many years ago, to serve her as he had served Vegeta and Nappa for so many years. 

Raditz smirked back at her with all his Saiyan arrogance. He remembered Deputy; what was this haughty elite next to the Chaos demon he'd killed in single combat? Nothing; a cipher, a worm in the dust. Lady Naranja had a lot to learn about the last of the Saiyans. 

"I'm waiting for--" 

A flicker-flash, and Goku appeared ten feet away, two fingers still pressed to his forehead. 

"--my brother Kakarott," finished Raditz, but his words went unheard. 

Naranja's eyes bulged as she stared at Goku. "Bardock! How??" 

Goku frowned slightly at Naranja, and Raditz realized that the unusual seriousness on his face made him look almost exactly like his long-dead father. Only the characteristic scar was missing. 

"My name is Son Goku," he said. "Why have you come here?" 

Naranja stared at him, studying every detail of his powerfully muscled form. "Sohngokuu? What kind of name is--ah. You've taken a local name." Momentary disgust flashed across her face, to be replaced with a curious intensity as she stared at Goku. "I came looking for you, of course. What better place to look than the world where both your sons had gone? If you had survived--but you did, and you are here. It has been long--and there are so few of us left. Surely the prince will grant--" Lady Naranja abruptly turned her head to glare at Raditz. "These matters are not for the whelp's ears, and he is under the prince's orders; I will speak to you later, my Bardock." 

She vaulted into the air, turning slowly to fly after Vegeta. Raditz darted after her; below him, he could hear Goku saying plaintively, "But I'm not Bardock...." 


	5. Chapter 5

_"...I will speak to you later, my Bardock."_

Naranja's words burned in Raditz's mind as he flew just behind and below the noblewoman. Clearly, she had mistaken Goku for his powerfully muscled father, but... _my Bardock_? What did she mean--no, she couldn't! Bardock had not, he could not have betrayed Raditz's mother! No. Raditz remembered what happened when she died... 

_"KINOKO!" Raditz bolted upright, startled out of a sound sleep by Bardock's agonized shout. The young warrior found his feet, reflexively grabbed his scouter and slammed through the flimsy sliding partition that divided up their assigned quarters._

_Bardock sat upright, hands clutching convulsively at the now bent and twisted frame of the bed. He stared blankly, looking beyond Raditz at something only he could see, horror written across his face._

_"KIN! Come back... NO!" Bardock shuddered as if he'd been hit by some massive blow and fell back on his bed._

_Raditz walked gingerly toward his father, slowly pulling things together in his sleep-dazed mind. Mother is still offworld, he remembered, on Jinkousei--wherever the hell that is. He must be having a nightmare, the young warrior concluded disgustedly. Great; I get woken from a sound sleep because my warrior father is having bad dreams like a cowardly child!_

_Bardock's eyes opened and he stared at Raditz. The horror was gone, replaced by nothing--a disconcerting emptiness of expression. Puzzlement flickered briefly in Bardock's eyes as he looked at Raditz, only to be replaced by emptiness again._

_"Why did she turn from me?" he asked his long-haired son in a vaguely puzzled voice. "I would have held her, I would have gone down into the darkness with her--but she ran from me. She was afraid of me! That's not the way it was supposed to be..."_

_Something cold gripped Raditz's heart, and he said roughly, "It was a nightmare! That's all! You're a warrior--get hold of yourself!"_

_Bardock turned suddenly cold eyes on his eldest son. Before Raditz could blink, Bardock was on his feet and--_

_THUD! The outer wall cracked as Raditz slammed into it. His head spun, and it was a few seconds before he could hear his father screaming at him._

_"...no nightmare! We were bonded, you stupid fool!" Bardock's face was twisted with rage and grief. "How can you look so much like her and be such a crass fool?? Get out, Raditz, get out NOW!"_

_"But--"_

_"GET OUT BEFORE I KILL YOU!"_

Her death destroyed him, Raditz thought. It destroyed _us_. I never saw him alive after that night--I lived in the guard barracks and didn't try to go home again. Then he got me transferred off world... Kakarott never saw his mother _or_ father again; Bardock was too ashamed that the last legacy of his wife was such a weakling. There was only me, and my duties didn't allow me much chance to see him before I got transferred away. 

A strange pang stabbed through Raditz. Little brother... never had a mother, any mother. They took him from Kinoko in the birthing tanks, because she had a mission assignment that wouldn't wait--that damned Jinkousei mission! And she died... And after that, he was sent to this world, and they say he was found and raised by an old hermit, who had no wife. 

And what gods looked after Goku, that he became what he is? I knew a few other low-class warriors who were taken from their mothers at birth and kept in the creche until sent out as infants--they were always the worst kind of butchers. They were the ones who liked killing more than fighting, the ones who enjoyed torturing and slaughtering helpless opponents. Why not Kakarott? 

The sight of the tall dome of Capsule Corp headquarters distracted Raditz from his musings. Vegeta was already descending, while Lady Naranja hovered uncertainly overhead. Raditz closed and pointed downward towards a clear area. Naranja glared at him with undisguised loathing and dropped to the ground beside Vegeta. 

* * *

"Bulma dear, Vegeta is back. And I think he brought a guest," Mrs. Briefs called to her daughter. 

Bulma jerked her head up from the computer. He's back already? she thought with some consternation. She hadn't meant to get that engrossed in analyzing the latest data from dad's experiments. 

As she flung open the door and went out, Bulma wondered momentarily what her mother meant, "I think he brought a guest,"-- 

\--but only for a moment. Standing on the tarmac in the middle of the compound was Vegeta, standing still with his arms folded, his furry black-tipped white tail coiled close around his waist, his powerful muscles and compact figure revealed by the nearly skin-tight black jumpsuit he favored. Raditz stood uneasily, his weight shifting from one foot to the other, his tail coiled tightly, one hand raised to his scouter, and a third person stood between them--an almost-human figure wearing brown and blue armor with wide shoulder guards in an all-too-familiar style. As she walked closer, Bulma could see a few more interesting details--the newcomer was female, and also had a brown furry tail curled around her waist. 

Vegeta's head turned sharply toward her as Bulma stomped up, but before he could do more than start to open his mouth, Bulma snapped, "Who the hell is this and what is she doing here?" 

The Saiyan woman's eyes narrowed; she glared angrily at Bulma and lazily extended her hand, pointing one finger at the blue-haired woman. Vegeta stared coldly at the newcomer in turn; she closed her hand and let it drop to her side. A shiver ran over Bulma as she realized that the woman had been about to kill her for no more reason than being in her presence, and only stopped because of Vegeta. Even Raditz had not been so casually murderous on his first arrival... 

"Lady Naranja is one of my subjects," Vegeta said, smirking slightly. "Raditz, Kakarott and myself are not the only surviving Saiyans." 

Bulma's jaw dropped. "Lady--subject--surviving Saiyan??" Her head seemed to spin, and it took her several seconds to realize that Raditz was talking to her. 

"Bulma? You there? I need to know where to put Lady Naranja's capsule house," Raditz was asking, his fingers still on the main button of his scouter. 

Lady Naranja stared at Bulma in disbelief; her lip curled with disgust as she looked back at Raditz. Bulma was equally incredulous. 

"WHAT?? Put a capsule house where?!? For _her_? Are you crazy? Do you think I'm going to--" 

Vegeta jerked his head up irritably. "I already told Raditz to make the arrangements. Naranja is an elite of the nobility, and this is the only suitable place for her to stay." Vegeta smirked again. "Unless you prefer that I order her to find her own quarters some place suitable--such as that ridiculous building in Versailles, or the one in London--Buckingham Palace, the TV called it." 

"Gaahh! Okay, then--" Bulma whirled to face Raditz. "What size house are you giving her?" 

"Oh, I figure a Model 370 Manor should be about right," Raditz said dryly. 

"You would, when it's coming out of company inventory," Bulma snapped. "All right, there's room for one in the experimental aircraft area; just make sure it's clear of dad's experiment--you know the one." 

Naranja's eyebrows went up and she stared, open-mouthed and appalled, gaze flicking from one to the other. She turned abruptly toward Raditz. 

"Even base-born scum like you are still Saiyan! What is this alien _vermin_ that you should heed its yammerings?" Naranja snarled. "Why does it even live? Were this my world, I would be feasting on its heart and its young would be--" 

KRAK! 

Bulma didn't see Vegeta move; one instant, he was standing quietly with his usual half-bored expression, in the next instant, Lady Naranja was lying half-buried at the end of a brand-new fifty-yard trench in the tarmac. One of Vegeta's hands was still extended, and he didn't looked bored anymore. Instead, he looked coldly angry. 

Vegeta folded his arms and waited impatiently for Lady Naranja to pull herself painfully out of the trench and limp back into his presence. Her face was bruised where Vegeta had struck her, and blood from a cut lip trickled out of the corner of her mouth. She dropped to one knee before Vegeta. 

"Bulma is _mine_ ," Vegeta told the noblewoman. "She is... chatelaine of this complex, and of all the people of this world, the one who most pleases me." 

Naranja's eyes widened as she caught the peculiar emphasis Vegeta gave his statement. So did Bulma's. 

"Raditz, quit dawdling," Vegeta snapped. "Naranja, go with Raditz." 

"Yes, my prince," Naranja bowed her head and saluted, then rose to follow Raditz when Vegeta dismissed her with a curt nod of his head. 

After Raditz and Naranja had crossed most of the compound, Bulma looked suspiciously at Vegeta. "I _please_ you??" 

"Hmmphh. I had to say something to make the woman behave; it meant nothing. Don't let it go to your head," Vegeta answered. "What an annoying creature; she reminds me of Nappa. Much too caught up in her perogatives and tradition to see reality." Vegeta turned on his heel and stalked determinedly toward the gravity chamber. 

Bulma watched him go, one blue eyebrow raised. "'An annoying creature'? Well," she said to herself, "I suppose that's a good sign." 

* * *

A few hours later, Naranja permitted herself to rest. She sprawled across the incredibly comfortable king-size bed that occupied a small portion of the master suite in the luxurious manor house. Her stomach was comfortably full with the best food she could remember having since... since she couldn't remember. She must have had good food once before, on Vegetasei; there had been some fine cooks there, and she had been of high enough rank to command their services, but she could not remember much about Vegetasei. 

It had been too long. All Naranja could remember were faded impressions of the way things had been; nothing so specific as places and names and faces. Even Bardock's face had started to fade, until she saw him again today--but she hadn't forgotten her feelings. Nor had she forgotten her hate for the treacherous bitch who had robbed Naranja of her best sergeant! 

Naranja thought about how it had been before _that woman_ joined the squad... 

_It was just another planet, one of countless like it, but Bardock had persuaded her to wait for the full moon, as they were short-handed and the promised replacement still hadn't arrived. Again. Naranja hated waiting for a battle; her bloodlust was roused, and she paced, tail twitching, seething with restless energy as she anticipated the kills she would make._

_Bardock sat by his pod, checking distant power-levels against the maps; his deeply tanned face and bare, muscular arms gleamed like bronze under the weak yellow sun. Under the hot white sun of Vegetasei, Naranja remembered, his skin was so golden it almost glowed._

_Bardock favored bare shoulders and bare legs, wearing only an armor vest and paneled skirt for protection. His power was such that he scarcely needed the extra protection; few vermin could even touch him. Naranja regarded his muscular, rugged arms and powerful legs with approval; her sergeant was a true Saiyan warrior, regardless of his low birth._

_If only she could get the fool to see it! Naranja moved a few steps closer and looked over Bardock's shoulder; her hand dropped down to rest on his bare shoulder as she peered with pretended interest at his maps. The very tip of her tail twitched in short, abrupt strokes._

_"Have you located their main cities yet?"_

_"Yes. Here, and here, and here," he answered. Sweat beaded on his brow as Naranja's hand slipped off his shoulder to stroke down his arm._

_"Good. It should take us little more than a hour a piece to clear them," Naranja growled, her voice husky with bloodlust. Her tail lashed more vigorously; as she half-turned away from Bardock, her tail lashed out, brushing against Bardock's tail where it coiled tightly around his waist._

_His breath caught oddly, and Naranja smiled to herself, then turned back. Her careless tail brushed against Bardock's one last time before coiling tightly around her own waist._

_"There is a good bounty for this planet. Plan on a small celebration when we are done; you deserve some reward for your hard work," Naranja said, smirking._

_Bardock knelt on one knee and saluted; sweat definitely clung to his face. "Yes, Commander--but I am only a low-class warrior; I don't deserve more than my normal due."_

_Naranja growled under her breath in exasperation. As usual, all Bardock could see was the difference in their class! Well, that wasn't all he could see, or she knew nothing of men, but he denied himself out of some ridiculous sense of propriety. The fool! It wasn't 'fraternization' if she said otherwise!_

_Naranja smiled to herself. He wouldn't be so skittish after the battle. Rank would be forgotten after the ouzaru rage had run its course, and Bardock's natural instincts would take the lead...._

How was she to know that the cursed woman's pod would arrive right after the battle, and that Bardock would be the one to greet her? 

Naranja sat up and growled, snatching at the nearest small object, an elegant porcelain vase. She flung the innocuous vase at the wall, then blasted it to vapor before it could strike and shatter. Damn Raditsu! Damn him for being the living image in male form of the bitch! Naranja had forgotten the witch's face, forgotten that delicate, rare beauty that had so thoroughly enchanted Bardock--until the sight of Raditsu brought all the memories back. 

_Is he a threat?_

No, Naranja thought, but I need to see his power to be sure. He never was any better than a weak first-class. 

_Vegeta is a threat. He must be neutralized._

He is the prince! It would be treason! Besides, his power is too great, I cannot deal with him directly. 

_And Bardock?_

Bardock, she thought warmly, could never be a threat. True, he is strong, but his mate is long dead; he has no ties here, save to the prince, and will join with me. 

_The beacon was destroyed._

What of it? Naranja thought crossly. They follow me, and they know where I went! They will land here. 

_The relay was also destroyed. Communications must be restored._

Naranja groaned. Of course, they follow the back-up plan. No need to hurry, though; it will only make them stronger in the meantime. These folk, she thought, marveling at the size and luxury of the house instantly created for her from a tiny capsule, are technically adept, even if they are weakling vermin. I should be able to get them to make the necessary equipment. 

_Vegeta must be neutralized._

He is the prince! I should bow to him; by right, he should command. 

_Control should be transferred to him, then._

"NO!" Naranja growled aloud. "It is mine!" 

_Then Vegeta must be neutralized._

He is the prince... but Vegetasei is gone. There is no throne from which to rule, no kingdom to be ruled. Vegeta is a prince... but he consorts with vermin in the most debased fashion--he practically boasted of it! If the king had known of such... practices, Prince Vegeta would not have lived to adulthood. She smiled grimly to herself. Doubtless Marshal Nappa would have arranged an 'unfortunate training accident'--and made Latta the scapegoat. 

I wonder... did Lord Nappa discover the prince's proclivities when they arrived on this planet? Did Vegeta kill him, then? Certainly none of the inhabitants could have. 

Yes. Vegeta must be neutralized. So must Raditsu; he is too loyal to the prince and obviously tolerant of his corrupt ways. A dark thrill ran through Naranja. I will enjoy watching that witch's get die writhing in his own blood and entrails--like all the other traitors! 

* * *

At four hundred gravities, every step, every move was a torment; sweat poured off Vegeta like rain as he worked through his training exercises again and again. 

A surviving Saiyan woman, and a noble at that! Vegeta slashed angrily at the air, pushing himself through another kata. A noblewoman... possibly of high enough rank to have been chosen as his consort, had things been otherwise. Were the Tsufurujiti one of the handful of clans that traditionally intermarried with the royal family? Vegeta could not remember; he'd never had much patience for the minutiae of ancestral tradition and politics, even before Vegetasei's destruction. 

Did it matter? Vegetasei was gone, and it was up to Vegeta to decide what should be tradition and what was of no more worth than the dust of Vegetasei. She was noble, he was the prince, that was sufficient. 

But you already have a mate! What passed for Vegeta's conscience nagged at him as he stepped and kicked through another kata. You have taken a human to wife and sired a son, a son who will be a Super-Saiyan. 

She is only human, Vegeta argued with himself. It was reasonable when there were no surviving women, but now, it is an abomination! By all tradition, it is the worst perversion, to mate with-- with _vermin_. Nappa would have tried to kill me, and would have killed her, had he known what would happen. I am the prince, for me to do what I have done is unthinkable. 

_I am the prince_ ; I decide what is perverse and what is permitted. Traditions that lead to extinction are not worth keeping. Kakarott in his ignorance broke all tradition, but preserved the Saiyan race. Is a brain-damaged peasant wiser than the heir to the throne of Vegetasei? No; it was no abomination to preserve the line of the kings by taking the best of the human race as my mate! Not when the children are stronger and smarter than their ancestors.... 

Even Nappa saw it, though I would not hear him at the time. "...spawn a race of Super-Saiyans ourselves, and restore the Saiyan Empire". If Nappa of all people could see that, and bring himself to say it... 

Yes. I have done well to make Bulma my wife, but something should be done to preserve a pure Saiyan line. I will not weaken the royal line by mating with this Saiyan, but she must be mated to a pure-blooded Saiyan. Kakarott already has a mate and would not dream of taking another one.... Raditz, on the other hand, shows no signs of taking an _available_ human mate. 

Vegeta smirked to himself. "Yes, Raditz will do very well." 

* * *

Goten had a hard time getting to sleep that night. His best friend Trunks was spending the night, so after a huge, delicious dinner the two boys played and sparred until it was too dark to see outside. Chi-chi finally had to dragoon Goku into dragging them both inside and putting them to bed, and even then the two excited boys spent hours talking. 

Only the threat of nothing but cold, leftover rice for breakfast if they didn't quiet down convinced them to stop bouncing from bed to bed and laughing, but Trunks and Goten still talked in whispers for a good chunk of the night. 

"What do you think she looks like?" Goten whispered. 

They'd already heard from Goku that the spaceship had carried killer robots that were after a _Saiyan_ lady from space. Trunks had been quick to notice and repeat that his father, Vegeta, had destroyed all the killer robots before Goten's dad Goku had even gotten there. Much of their conversation had revolved around Goten's indignant defense of his father's honor ("He would have destroyed them if he'd been there!") and speculation about how tough the killer robots really were. ("They must have been really tough if Uncle Raditz didn't blow them up himself!") 

"Like a Saiyan, of course," Trunks said somewhat smugly. Sometimes Goten asked the silliest questions! 

"But what does a Saiyan look like? You're Saiyan, and I'm Saiyan, and we don't look anything alike," Goten pointed out. "An' your hair looks like your grandpa's, an' he isn't Saiyan." 

Trunks scowled at Goten; sometimes he asked the most annoying questions! 

"Well, that's because I'm a half-Saiyan," Trunks said. "But the Saiyan lady is all Saiyan, so she's got black hair, like our fathers--" 

"--an' Uncle Raditz," Goten reminded him. 

"Him, too. And she probably has a tail like Raditz, and maybe armor, too," Trunks finished. 

"A lady with a tail?" Goten's eyes were wide in the dark. "Wow!" Then he frowned again. "But my dad says she's really mean an' bad." 

Trunks snorted. "She can't be too mean, or mother wouldn't let Papa bring her home. Besides, Papa thinks she's okay, so she can't be bad," Trunks said, innocent and unknowing of the blood-soaked legacy of the Saiyans. 

BANG! The light suddenly came on, dazzling the two boys. 

"GOTEN! TRUNKS! BE QUIET AND GO TO SLEEP! NOW!" Chi-chi snapped. "If I hear one more word, you're both sleeping in the garage and you'll be lucky to get grass for breakfast!" 

"Yes, momma," Goten said, ducking under the covers to lie still in the futile pretense that he'd been under them the whole time. 

"Yes ma'am!" Trunks answered, abruptly subdued by Chi-chi's threats. Sleeping in the garage might be fun, but grass for breakfast! Uh-uh. No way. 

The light turned out again, and the door closed softly behind Chi-chi as the two boys finally settled down. Even so, Goten tossed and turned, still too excited to sleep, though not Trunks. The older boy dropped off to sleep, and a hesitant, softly whispered "Trunks?" got no response. 

When Goten finally dozed off, his sleep was fitful and shaken by nightmares of clanking steel monsters with too many legs. 

* * *

To an entity in space who has never been to a particular planet, dates and times have no meaning. Yesterday, today and tomorrow meant nothing to the fleet from Jinkousei; all they knew was that they had arrived in the destination system--and there was no beacon. There was no beacon to guide them to a landing, nor did encrypted orders signal them on the expected frequencies. 

They had orders for this contingency, too. Mere hours after entering the system, scout ships reported back to the fleet: there was a planetoid belt with an abundance of nickel-iron planetoids. Every ship of the fleet changed course to a new trajectory, one that would bring each one to a different chunk of nickel-iron. 

As days passed, the robot ships set to work, deploying mining robots and automated refineries and robofactories. When all was ready, they began to build. 


	6. Chapter 6

When Gohan took Trunks home the next morning, everything appeared normal. Well, except for the new Model 370 Capsule Manor that dominated the Experimental Aircraft pad. Everyone Trunks knew looked the same, too--but they were certainly acting weird! 

Mom forgot that Chi-chi always fed Trunks breakfast when he slept over at the Son house, and insisted on feeding him breakfast again. Trunks didn't mind, as flying made him hungry anyway. What bothered him was the way Mom kept hanging around him and making oddly pointed remarks to his father--only Trunks couldn't figure out the points. 

"Well, Vegeta, _our_ son is certainly growing up into a fine, _strong_ boy, isn't he?" and the like. Trunks' ears burned; had they had a fight again? Over him? 

Vegeta merely grunted as he shoveled his breakfast down. After the fourth or fifth such comment, he regarded Trunks intently; Trunks squirmed under the searching stare. Had he done something wrong? 

"Your mother coddles you too much," Vegeta said abruptly. "You're a Saiyan, it's time you trained like one. As soon as you're finished eating, boy, meet me in the gravity chamber, ready for training." He stood up from the table and marched out the door. 

Bulma glared at Vegeta's escaping back. "I WHAT?? Hmmpph. Just because I make sure he gets to school, and gets to play with his friends instead of training sixteen hours a day, doesn't mean he's coddled!" she yelled after him. "Bad enough you're locked up in that chamber all the time, a person could forget who she's married to! Oh, that's right, we're not married!" 

Vegeta halted and turned back. "That _again_? Woman, I am the Prince of Vegetasei; my word is enough. If I say you are my wife, you are my wife." The door fell quietly shut behind him. 

* * *

Raditz woke as he did every morning, shaking and cursing the nightmares that haunted him. He wiped the sweat off his face as he got out of bed; last night's had been particularly bad. Both Nezumi and Bulma had featured prominently as victims in one of his purges.... 

His stomach lurched as some of the unwanted details came back to him. By all the devils in Hell, what had possessed him to be that barbaric on Nekosei--or was it Sakanasei? Raditz couldn't remember the name; it was just another underpopulated, backward target of Frieza's greed. The inhabitants had been vaguely hominid and scaly, but in his nightmares, they were all human, all people he knew. In the nightmares, he did to them _exactly_ what he'd done to the inhabitants of that obscure world. 

After washing up, Raditz sat and stared at his hands. He did that a lot, whenever he woke from a nightmare. That was one of those purges, he thought, when I returned to the pod with my arms drenched in blood to my shoulders. I thought it was a _good_ day, because the days I was covered in blood were the days I had to fight hand-to-hand, the days it was almost an honest fight instead of mere butchery. 

I deserved Hell; I don't deserve to be here. Still... I am here, and I've got work to do. 

* * *

Nezumi had the bad luck to be checking the perimeter of Dr. Brief's experiment that morning when Lady Naranja emerged from her manor. The Saiyan woman looked around and scowled; twice her right hand reached up as if to brush her spiky black hair back and stopped. Then her gaze fell on Nezumi, who was watching her out of the corner of her eye while pretending to check perimeter alarms. 

"You, there!" Naranja called preemptorially. 

Nezumi straightened and looked at her, slightly annoyed by the woman's tone. 

"Vermin, get me a new scouter, and be quick about it," the Saiyan warrior snapped. 

_Vermin_? Nezumi stiffened; she didn't care what kind of big-wig honcho this was supposed to be, even Kidoru hadn't been that rude! Nezumi deliberately turned her back on the woman and walked away, ignoring her querulous commands. 

There was a blur of color in front of her eyes-- 

Nezumi screamed with sudden pain as something smashed her ribcage and snapped her arm and shoulder like so many dry twigs. She was vaguely aware that her body was hurtling through the air and wondered if it would hurt when she landed-- 

Then she landed, and it did hurt, worse than anything in the world until unconsciousness mercifully intervened. 

* * *

Trunks found his father already in the gravity chamber waiting for him. 

"Plans have changed; I have something else for you to do," Vegeta told his son. "Find Raditz and tell him to come speak with me here. You and I will train after lunch." 

"Yes, father," Trunks said and ran back out, only to nearly plow into Raditz. 

"Raditz, fatherwantstoseeyounowbye!" he yelled in passing. Until lunch? He could fly out to the Son house and play with Goten for a while if he timed things right. Trunks grinned to himself; if he didn't ask Mom, she couldn't possibly say no. 

* * *

Raditz entered the gravity chamber, tensing slightly as Vegeta flicked the gravity back on at 100Gs, and bowed to his prince. "I am here." 

Vegeta didn't allow himself to wonder at Raditz's untraditional greeting. "Ours will not be the last generation of true Saiyans after all." Vegeta smirked. "Let Frieza roll in his grave; not only has a Saiyan defeated and destroyed him, but the Saiyan race has outlived him!" 

Raditz shifted, coiling his tail more tightly around his waist. He didn't want to ask the obvious question, but he had to. "You will take her as your mate, then?" 

Vegeta smirked cruelly; Raditz's heart sank. No! He can't mean to dispose of Bulma! She's too good for that. His fists clenched involuntarily. I'll protect her, take care of her... 

"No," said Vegeta, still smirking. "I already have a mate. _You_ will take her as your wife and sire pure-blooded Saiyan children. I will not weaken the royal bloodline with her merely elite power, but your blood can only be strengthened." 

Raditz blinked, momentarily stunned. "What??" 

"You heard me; you will mate with the woman and raise up proper Saiyan warriors, and my sons will rule them and this planet!" Vegeta smiled triumphantly. "Now, fetch the woman that I may tell her of her role." 

"My prince... she may not agree. She has little liking for me--" Still stunned, Raditz groped for something to say, anything. 

"She has no choice; she is my sworn vassal, as are you. Get her, now!" Vegeta growled. 

"Yes, she--" 

The gravity chamber creaked as the safety interlocks on the door took the gravity generator offline, abruptly reducing the gravity to Earth normal. The door swung open with a screech, and Lady Naranja stepped in. 

Raditz turned toward her. "How convenient; the prince just sent me to find you." 

Lady Naranja raised one dark eyebrow. "Has my prince decided what I am to do here?" 

"Yes," Vegeta said, a small, satisfied smile on his face. "You shall preserve the pure Saiyan race from extinction as Raditz's mate." 

Lady Naranja turned pale, then flushed with anger. "I am a noble of the Tsufurujiti and an elite! You would have me take that gutter-spawn weakling as my mate?" 

"Yes," Vegeta answered coldly, his arms folded, his face implacable. 

Lady Naranja bit her lip and shot a glance of pure hatred at Raditz, then dropped to one knee, saluting Prince Vegeta. "If my prince so commands," she said heavily. 

"I do so command," Vegeta confirmed. 

"It shall be done," Naranja answered. "If my prince could give me some time to prepare myself? A few weeks, no more." 

"You have them," Vegeta answered. He dismissed her with an imperious gesture. 

Naranja rose to her feet. "Raditsu, I need a new scouter--and you should have warned me the local vermin were so fragile. I corrected one of them for insolence and accidently broke it." 

"What??" Raditz glared angrily at her. "Who? Where?" 

She shrugged. "Vermin all look alike, but it fell somewhere west of that hazard zone you have in front of my house. I doubt it's good for much, though it might be edible if you pick the dirt out of the meat." 

Raditz was out the door and halfway across the compound and did not hear Naranja's last comment--fortunately for Naranja. 

* * *

Raditz tuned his scouter to its lowest settings as he flew across the compound, looking this way and that. It didn't take him very long to locate the fading human life near the western fence, and he thanked Bulma and whatever insanity that had inspired him to keep the scouter tech manuals all those years; he would not have found Naranja's victim in time with his own ki sense. 

Something in his chest felt hollow and cold as he caught sight of the bloody, crumpled form tangled up in the ruins of the perimeter fence. Rings and Moon! No, NOT HER! 

"ZUMI!" Raditz dropped to the badly injured girl's side; she was still barely alive. It took only seconds to summon an ambulance through his scouter's communicator; he dared not move her himself. Quickly, carefully, he put pressure on the worst bleeding, pulled the wire fence out of her neck and back, and sealed the holes driven through her lungs by her own shattered ribs with a strip off his bodysuit so she could breathe. 

"Don't you dare die, girl!" Raditz snarled in a whisper to her. "I forbid it! You're too important here to be walking out on the job like this! Damn it, girl, you're not vermin--you killed Enforcer! Even if I did tell you to leave the fighting to me. You should have obeyed me this time, girl. Let me pick the fights with that high-born bitch--I can handle her kind," Raditz growled as he held onto Nezumi's life with both hands, pressing shut holes in punctured arteries. It seemed like hours, though it was only minutes before the ambulance and a worried Bulma showed up. 

"What happened?" she asked, pushing her way past the medics to confront Raditz, anger flushing her cheeks and brightening her eyes. He could not help but notice how desireable the extra intensity of anger made her, and envied Vegeta his good fortune--and again did not notice his own tail-tip twitching. 

Raditz waited until the EMTs took over, then got to his feet and answered, watching Nezumi and the EMTs at the same time. "Vegeta's new pet tried to 'correct' 'Zumi for insolence," the big Saiyan snarled, his blood-soaked hands clenching into fists. 

Bulma turned white, then angry again. "Oh, really? VEGETA!" she yelled across the compound. "GET OVER HERE, RIGHT NOW! VEGETA!" 

Raditz winced at the assault on his ears; that propensity for yelling at the top of her lungs was one of the few things he did not find desireable and attractive in Bulma. They waited as the medics carefully braced and taped Nezumi's broken body to a stretcher and loaded her into the ambulance. By that time, Lina had arrived, looking shocked and pale. 

"I'll ride in with her," she said. Raditz nodded. 

"I'll see you at the hospital--after we've settled a few things here," he growled. Lina flinched involuntarily and thanked all the gods she knew that she wasn't the target of Raditz's anger. 

As the ambulance sped away, Vegeta finally appeared, drifting down from the sky insouciantly. "What on earth are you howling about now, woman?" 

Bulma glared at Vegeta angrily. "Get that woman out of here, now! She's hurt one of our people, one of _Raditz's_ people, nearly killed her! We still don't know if she'll live!" 

Vegeta glared at Bulma. "No. I have plans for her." 

It was the wrong thing to say. "WHAT??" Bulma shrieked, and turned to Raditz. "All right, Raditz, you take care of it. Get her out of here, get her off this planet, and I hope you have to beat her to a bloody pulp to make her go!" 

Vegeta stiffened; it had been the wrong thing for Bulma to say. His eyes narrowed with anger. "She is an elite of the noblity; I forbid it!" he snapped. "In addition," he said, smirking, "she is Raditz's fiance. He cannot even touch her against her will; it is forbidden by law and custom." 

"She's WHAT??" Bulma's jaw dropped. She turned to Raditz. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" 

Raditz's tail tightened around his waist and his brows arched angrily downward. "It means that Vegeta has forgotten that I am _not_ his vassal anymore," Raditz growled, his voice trembling with rage. "I work for Bulma, _not you_ , and I will see Naranja in Hell before I have anything to do with the woman." He slipped into a fighting stance, his fists clenched; somewhere, buried underneath his barely-controlled rage a tiny voice screamed desperately that defying Vegeta was certain death-- 

"What is this, your highness?" Lady Naranja dropped down from the sky and looked curiously at Vegeta, Raditz, and Bulma. 

KRAK! Raditz's blow came swifter than Naranja could see, let alone dodge; she hurtled through a line of trees before digging a trench in the pavement beyond. In two bounds, Raditz was beside her. As she got to her feet, Raditz slammed his fist into her stomach, doubling her over; his third blow caught her across the back, smashing her into the ground hard enough to crack the pavement for yards around. 

"ENOUGH!" roared Vegeta. The veins stood out on his forehead; he glared at Raditz, his body shaking with fury, then turned his head slowly toward Naranja as she dragged herself to her feet. 

Lady Naranja's brows lowered. "You DARE?" she hissed at Raditz, crouching in a fighting stance. Power gathered in her right hand. 

Vegeta snarled at her. "Raditz serves _me_. I warned you that the people of Earth lived because it pleases me to permit it," he growled, his own rage making his voice harsh. 

Naranja paled as her anger turned to fear. She dropped to one knee and saluted. "Forgive me, my prince! I truly did not know they were so fragile! It will not happen again." 

Vegeta looked at her and folded his arms. "Do not presume to 'correct' anyone for 'insolence' or anything else again. Bulma will 'correct' her own people, and I will deal with others," the Saiyan prince snarled. 

KRAK! This blow was too swift for even Raditz to follow; Naranja sprawled on her back at the end of another trench fifty feet away. 

"Do you understand me?" Vegeta snarled softly. 

Lady Naranja wiped the blood from her lips as she staggered to her feet. "As my prince commands," she answered. 

"Get out of my sight!" Vegeta snapped, and Naranja fled. 

KRAK-THUD! Raditz barely saw the blow coming in time to partially block it, and even so he was flung halfway across the compound before he regained his feet. 

"Fool!" snarled Vegeta. "I am the prince of all Saiyans--do you think to challenge _me_?" A flurry of blows in quick succession; all Raditz could do was dodge and retreat. 

He isn't even trying, Raditz sensed; fear began to mix with his rage at Naranja and Vegeta. He doesn't even need the Super-Saiyan against me! Raditz abruptly hurtled straight up; Vegeta's power lit up around him in a white corona as he followed. 

"Don't bother running, Raditz!" Vegeta snarled as he hurled a ball of energy at the long-haired Saiyan. 

Raditz dodged the fireball. "I'm not running, I'm just moving the battle. Bulma is not strong enough to survive being in the middle of a fight between us," he snapped, fear and anger making his voice harsher than he'd intended. 

Vegeta stopped abruptly. "What?" He looked down; a tiny, blue-haired figure was screaming and shaking its fist at him. 

"Both of you stop that right this instant! Vegeta, you get down here right now if you ever want to see me or your son again!!" Bulma's voice came up to him faintly. 

" _NANI_?!?" He plumetted to the ground, and Raditz could see him yelling and gesturing angrily. 

Raditz growled, more to himself than Vegeta, "I'm going to the hospital--for now. This still isn't settled, Vegeta." He darted across the city sky in a plume of white fire. 

* * *

After fleeing Vegeta, Lady Naranja wandered around inside the Capsule Corp main building, looking for whoever or whatever supplied Raditz's scouter. For all her faults, Lady Naranja was keenly observant and fairly intelligent--the distinctive logo on Raditz's scouter had not gone unnoticed. Several other things she'd observed nagged at her.... 

Raditz's unusual rage and power for one of his class, his violent, nearly insane overreaction to Naranja's trespass--had Saiyan males always been that unstable? She didn't think so, but it had been a very long time... 

There was something... odd about Raditz. He didn't smell right. Raditz's peculiar, musky scent twitched at her nostrils, bringing up bad memories and old anger. It reminded her of Bardock, somehow, and of his betrayal with Kinoko. Why? She replayed every meeting with Raditz in her mind again and again--then it struck her. 

Of course! That witch's brat desires a woman! He stinks of lust, but for whom--me? Is that why Vegeta commanded me to marry him? Bile rose in the back of her throat at the thought of being touched by Raditz. She'd see him in Hell, first. 

No, he was already in musk before I arrived; the only female present was that blue-haired woman. Vegeta's woman. 

An evil grin spread across her face; Lady Naranja began to shake uncontrollably, trying to hold in her mirth. She couldn't do it--it was too much. She threw back her head and laughed, hysterically and uncontrollably. 

That stupid, stupid fool! He has handed me his own death-warrant! 

"Excuse me, um, could I help you?" An elderly, lavender-haired man stood in the far doorway, a steaming hot cup of coffee in one hand and a small black creature on the opposite shoulder. 

Lady Naranja stared intently at him, and restrained herself from her customary response of casually incinerating vermin who disturbed her. Perhaps she could get some use out of this particular vermin. 

"Raditz was supposed to issue me a new scouter, but has been busy. Do you have one?" 

"A scouter?" Dr. Briefs thought for a moment. "Oh, yes. I know where Bulma keeps the spares. Just follow me, please." He led her through labs and storage rooms filled with a bewildering array of equipment, computers, drawings, and strange unidentifiable objects. 

"Wait here, I think they're in this cabinet." While Dr. Briefs rifled through a cabinet, Naranja looked around the room she was standing in. One table was the obvious center of activity in the room; there was a computer and a disorderly pile of notebooks and discarded drink cans littering it. Various cabinets and drawers lined the room; engineering drawings and schematics of all kinds covered every horizontal surface. 

Naranja's attention was caught by a slightly dusty set of drawings atop the cabinet nearest her. They appeared to be the plans for a humanoid robot or cyborg. Naranja squinted at the plans; no, it was a purely robotic construct. Its humaniform nature did not interest her in the least; the armament it was equipped with did. If she was translating the energy output units correctly, its combat power was as far beyond that of a Saiyan warrior as hers was beyond that of the vermin scuttling across the surface of this pleasant blue world. 

"Ah, here we go," Dr. Briefs said, handing one of the sleek black scouters to Lady Naranja. 

She nodded brusquely and took the device, tapping it on to test. It beeped and came on, showing the expected readouts. So, they'd kept the interface the same. So much the better. 

"What are you using for a communications relay?" Naranja asked, wondering if it had even occurred to the vermin to augment the scouter's range. 

"Oh, it's linked into Capsule Corp's internal network," the old man said. "Just press it here, and go into this menu, and you can allocate the frequencies assigned to each channel. If you use one of the G frequencies, it will connect to the company network, and if you use one of the K frequencies, you'll get a satellite uplink." 

"I see." Naranja turned on her heel and walked back to her manor, thinking furiously. It had been amazingly easy; she had everything she needed hanging lightly from one ear. 

_Vegeta must be neutralized._

I agree. He is even more arrogant and powerful than his father; he cannot be controlled. I do not yet know how to neutralize him. 

_The communications relay must be restored._

I have the device needed. 

_What occupies you?_

Raditsu! He has become a problem; he is more powerful than I thought. She fingered one of the new bruises on her face. He must be neutralized! I have a plan, but it requires some time and patience--and one small change to be made. 

_I see. So be it. Now the relay must be built._

Yes... Naranja sat down at the long table in the manor's dining room and rested her mind in plans of vengeance--but not her body. Her body worked busily, its fingers dancing over the scouter's controls, re-programming it for another, more sinister use. 


	7. Chapter 7

Trunks knocked eagerly on the back door of the Son house, dancing impatiently from one foot to the other. After a few minutes, Gohan answered the door. 

"Hey, Trunks! What's up?" the lanky teenager asked. 

"Can Goten come out and play? I can stay until lunchtime!" Trunks jumped up and down, trying to look past Gohan. 

Gohan laughed. "Sure; he hasn't started lessons yet, or he'd be stuck studying all day like me." 

"TRUNKS!" Goten ran past Gohan out the door, a hurricane on two legs. "Oh boy oh boy oh boy! Let's go!" 

"GOTEN! Where are you go--oh, hi, Trunks." Chi-chi squeezed past Gohan. 

"MomcanIplaywithTrunksplease? Pleasepleaseplease?" Goten begged. 

Chi-chi frowned. "Well, I suppose so--but don't go too far! If I have to send your dad to look for you--" Chi-chi's ferocious scowl hinted strongly that Goten did not want to find out what would happen in that case. 

"Okay, mom!" Goten dashed off after Trunks. 

As soon as they were out of earshot and sight of the house, Goten and Trunks stopped to talk. 

"So, what do you want to do?" Trunks asked. 

"I wanna see the spaceship! Gohan an' Nunk Rats wouldn't let us go see it yesterday," Goten pouted. 

"Me too!" agreed Trunks. Then he frowned. "But you can't fly!" 

"Nope." Goten looked disconsolate, but then brightened up. "You can carry me!" 

Trunks looked unhappy. "You're heavy. I can't fly carrying something as heavy as you," he pointed out, incorrectly. 

"Am not!" Goten pouted even more. "You just don't wanna carry me. You're just as strong as I am, an' I'm as strong as my mom, and she carried me all the time when I was little. Besides, Gohan and Nunk Rats carry me and fly all the time. So you can carry me." Though Goten had seriously underestimated his own strength relative to Chi-chi's, he was quite correct about the essential point of his argument, and Trunks knew it. 

"Oh, all right. I'll try, but if I drop you it's all your fault." He grabbed Goten around the waist and took off into the air, heading vaguely in the direction they had both seen the spaceship go. 

* * *

Raditz's first experience of a terrestrial hospital did not reassure him. It was a huge, massive building full of white-garbed humans scurrying like ants--full of the smells of pain, illness and death, overlaid by the sharp tang of disinfectants meant to hide it all. He bristled involuntarily, causing his hair to stand out in distinct spikes instead of laying down in a smooth sweep of mane. 

Nezumi was still in surgery when Raditz arrived; Lina paced the waiting room, desperate worry on her face. She turned anxiously to Raditz. 

"Well? Did you stop the one who did this?" Lina asked. 

Raditz hesitated. "Not yet," he growled. "Vegeta has reprimanded her. It was an accident, she says, and it won't happen again... she says." 

"I see," Lina said, hearing the contempt and skepticism in Raditz's voice. "Well, they're still operating on 'Zumi--your _friend_ did a lot of damage. _If_ 'Zumi lives, she'll be lucky if she ever walks or uses her left arm again--and she'll probably be in this hospital for the next several months. If she lives." 

"Naranja is not my friend," Raditz growled. 

"She's your kind, isn't she?" When Raditz didn't answer, Lina continued. "I called her mother and let her know that 'Zumi was in critical condition at the hospital after having an _accident_ at work. She's flying out here right now, and I'm sure she'll want to talk to Nezumi's supervisor--you--and find out what happened, and what's being done." Anger tinged Lina's voice. 

Raditz's eyes narrowed with suppressed anger. "I see," was all he said. He turned away from Lina and stared at the door through which any news would be borne. 

Damn this primitive technology! Raditz thought bitterly. If they had regen tanks, 'Zumi would be as good as new in a few weeks at most. This is worse than I thought. If she's crippled for life.... 

Raditz slowly paced. This isn't over. Naranja isn't going to just walk away from hurting one of _my_ people! I will make her pay for it... And then Vegeta will kill me; Naranja is his guest and vassal. 

Damn this! It's like being under Frieza again; I have to put up with it because I'm not strong enough to fight back--only worse, because it's not me that got hurt, it's an innocent who should never have been involved. 

If she dies... It's my fault, for rescuing that butcher, for bringing Naranja home, among weak, fragile, trusting humans--like Nezumi. Nezumi has a good heart--and that's the problem. She's too innocent. She has no idea what kind of butchers we Saiyans are. I tried to tell her once, but she would not listen. She foolishly wants to think the best of me. She probably made that mistake with Naranja. 

It just never ends, does it? I am as cursed as my brother is blessed; Kakarott seems to do good no matter what he falls into, while I can only do harm no matter what my intentions. I can't even blame fate for it; everything I've done was my own choice, or the result of other things I chose to do. 

I can't let Naranja hurt any of them again. Vegeta can't see that; except for Bulma, everyone who's not partly Saiyan or at least as strong as a Saiyan is still vermin to him. Kakarott... Kakarott has the power, but-- 

No. I can't bring him into this. It's my problem; I created it by rescuing the woman, I have to solve it. Somehow. 

* * *

Later that afternoon, Lady Naranja sped low over the hilltops. Somewhere to the east, her scouter told her, was the elusive, incredible power that belonged to Bardock. For the most part, it was too low to be identified with any certainity, but from time to time it flared up, in brief conflict with another enormous power. 

She hovered uncertainly over a small valley; Naranja had last detected her quarry somewhere nearby... There! By that pool! 

Goku looked up as the armor-clad Saiyan woman dropped out of the sky. "What do you want?" he asked guardedly. His eyes narrowed, and he did not smile. 

She folded her arms and tilted her head to one side, watching him. "What do think, Bardock? You were the strongest in my squad, my best sergeant and best tactician." She smirked and licked her lips. "You've been alone for a long time, now--too long for such a fine warrior. It's time to end that." Her tail switched slowly from side to side. 

Goku put his hand behind his head. "Um, I'm not Bardock. I know I look like my father, but I'm not him, I'm Son Goku." He laughed nervously. "Besides, I already have a wife and family." 

Naranja staggered back, a look of shock on her face. "Your wife is dead! How can the witch still hold you to her?? Was I wrong?" She flushed pale with sudden rage. "It's the brats, isn't it? They won't let you move on--let you return to what was good for you! You're a warrior," she growled, "they don't command you, you command _them_!" 

She flew suddenly into the air and turned away. "I will return, my Bardock, when you are free from the thrall of the witch and her get! I promise!" 

Goku watched her leave, puzzlement and concern in his wide eyes. 

* * *

"Trunks, I don't see anything but trees and hills and stuff. Where's the spaceship?" Goten asked for what had to be the hundredth time. 

"I don't know, maybe it's a bit further away," Trunks answered for about the hundredth time. His arms were aching from being held in the same position for so long; flying with Goten was work, not fun. 

"I wanna see the spaceship, not grass!" Goten pouted. 

"Hey! Quit wiggling, I can't hold you-- Oops!" 

Goten slipped free of Trunks grasp and found himself being held by nothing a hundred feet up. Gravity took over. 

"Owww! Trunks, you dropped me!" Goten complained as he got back to his feet. 

"Did not! You jumped!" Trunks settled down beside Goten on top of a hill. 

"Well, I was tired. And I'm hungry," Goten whined. 

"Well, don't look at me," Trunks snapped. "I didn't bring any food, and I'm tireder than you are. I was doing all the work!" 

Goten didn't answer, but looked past Trunks, puzzled. Finally he pointed. "Trunks, what happened to all those trees?" 

Trunks turned around and levitated up into the air; where Goten had pointed, tall trees had been blown down flat in neat rows, like someone had laid out a row of giant matchsticks. Trunks rose up higher than he'd been flying to get a good view, then dropped back down. 

"There's a big crater beyond the trees; I think we've found the spaceship!" Trunks grinned, all tiredness forgotten. 

"Ooh! Let's go see!" Goten held his arms up so Trunks could pick him up, and they were off. A few minutes later Trunks touched down in the middle of an immense crater; at the bottom of it was a still-smoking hulk of broken metal bigger than a jet airliner. Scattered here and there were smaller piles of twisted and melted metal. 

Goten's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and he hung back behind Trunks. Trunks looked in all directions, almost as wide-eyed as Goten. 

"Wow! They must have had some fight here, huh?" Trunks finally said. 

"They wrecked the spaceship!" Goten complained. "I wanted to see it!" 

"It was full of killer robots--they had to wreck it," Trunks pointed out. 

"Oh yeah." Goten ran over and looked at one of the smaller piles of half-melted metal. "Do you think this was one of the robots?" 

Trunks nodded vigorously. "Yep!" 

Goten poked at it for a bit, but the twisted shards of metal yielded nothing of interest. 

"Hey, what do you say we see if there's anything in the spaceship?" Trunks said, already bored with watching Goten poke around scraps of metal. 

"It's not dangerous, is it?" Goten asked worriedly. 

"Nah, Dad would've wrecked anything dangerous. Let's go!" Trunks ran over to the wrecked spaceship. 

The two boys poked around, crawled through, and ran over the gutted ruins of the black spaceship, oblivious to the dangers of collapse of its weakened structure, or the danger of radiation from its smashed reactor core, or any of a thousand things that would have forced adult humans to investigate slowly and carefully, with tons of equipment and technicians on hand. But then, they were Saiyans. 

After exploring most of the ship that could be explored, and seeing what there was to see, Goten and Trunks sat down in the grass outside the ruined spaceship. 

"I wonder what the captain of the ship looked like," Goten speculated. 

Trunks rolled his eyes. "A robot, of course! That was the robot ship that attacked the Saiyan lady; everyone on it was robots." 

Goten shook his head. "Robots don't need nice bedrooms, an' we found a bedroom." 

"'Cabin'. A bedroom on a ship is called a 'cabin'." Trunks shrugged. "Maybe the robots had it for their _real_ commander--you know, whoever was in charge of the robots and sent them out." 

"The real commander?" Goten asked wide-eyed. 

"Sure. Don't you watch TV? _Someone_ always creates the killer robots and sends them out. Sometimes it's aliens, and sometimes it's a mad scientist. This is a spaceship, so it's got to be aliens. And a real live alien has to have a cabin, he can't be just packed in a cargo hold," Trunks explained confidently. 

Goten looked around quickly. "Where's the alien, then? Did he get away?" 

The older boy scratched his head. "I haven't figured that out, yet," he admitted. "Maybe he's around here somewhere." Trunks smirked. "Or maybe Dad vaporized him." 

Goten, who had been looking slightly worried, pouted. "That's not fair! I wanted to see the alien!" 

Trunks shrugged. "I'm sorry, but if he's gone, he's gone." Trunks kicked at the grass; the breeze toussled his fine lavender hair. "Hey, I've got an idea; let's look for the Saiyan's pod. That should be in good shape; the Saiyan survived, and Dad wouldn't have wrecked it." 

Goten brightened up. "Oooh, let's!" He ran across the crater and stopped, realizing he had no idea what he was looking for. 

Trunks lifted up into the air. "Goten! Look over that way--there's kind of a little crater under this big one. It's mostly covered with dirt, though." He dropped down to the ground beyond the rim of the big crater; Goten ran to meet him. 

"See that edge there? The middle would be under all that dirt, though." Trunks frowned at the embankment thrown up by whatever had created the larger crater. 

Goten stared at it. "Hey, is that the alien captain?" 

Trunks turned quickly and looked where Goten was pointing, but saw nothing more than a lot of dirt. 

"Where? I don't see anything?" 

"Right there! He's coming this way, too!" Goten stepped behind Trunks and peeked over his shoulder. 

The short hairs on the back of Trunks' neck bristled. He couldn't see anything but the dirt crater wall in front of him. What was Goten talking about? 

"He's awfully small to be an alien captain, and he looks like a person, too." Goten said thoughtfully and stepped out from Trunks. 

"I still don't know what you're talking about!" Trunks said, exasperated. 

Goten looked at Trunks wide-eyed. "You really can't see him?" Goten wondered. 

"No, I can't see anyone but you!" Trunks said. 

"Oh," said Goten thoughtfully. Then he stepped forward and poked his finger in the air three or four times. Goten looked back at Trunks. "He's not-fun, like Nunk Rats used to be. Momma says people like that are ghosts an' spirits." Goten frowned. "I can't understand what you're saying," he said to the air in front of him. 

Trunks' eyes widened and he stepped back. "Are you saying th-there's a _g-ghost_ here?" 

Goten nodded. "Yep. He's a boy like us, only he's a little bigger than you. He's trying to talk to me, but I don't know his language. He's got black hair like mine, and a tail like Uncle Raditz--ooh, he jumped when I said that. Do you know my uncle Raditz?" Goten asked the air again. 

Goten cocked his head and listened intently; Trunks backed still further away. "I'm sorry," Goten said politely, "I still can't understand you. "I'm Goten, and this is Trunks. My dad is Son Goku, an' his dad is Vegeta--" Goten's eyes widened. "Wow! I think he knows who your dad is, Trunks." 

Trunks turned pale. "Oh-oh, I was supposed to be back home by lunch to train with Dad! We've got to go, Goten!" He quickly snatched Goten up and hurtled into the air, leaving the haunted crater behind as fast as possible. 

"HEY! That was rude, I was talking to him!" Goten complained. 

"Sorry!" Trunks yelled over the rushing air, though not feeling sorry in the least. "Maybe you can talk to your ghost some other time." 

"Oh, it's okay; I think he's coming home with us. He's flying right behind you." 

Trunks said nothing, but set a new personal flight speed record going back to the Son house. 


	8. Chapter 8

If Raditz had not been preoccupied with worry for Nezumi, he might have noticed the streak of white fire plunging down on him. It wouldn't have done him any good if he had. 

As it was, the first warning he had was the wild beeping of his scouter's proxmity alarm as it registered an incoming power too high for it to report; "MAX OVERRUN" blinked in red letters in front of Raditz's eye along with an arrow pointing above him. 

Then Vegeta hit him. 

When Raditz's head stopped spinning, he found himself lying at the bottom of a crater with Vegeta's booted foot crushing his ribs. Raditz had never quite lost consciousness, but the last second or so had been a blur of pain and motion; all he knew was that in four or five precise, economical blows, Vegeta had knocked the wind out of him, sent Raditz hurtling miles outside the city, and slammed him into the ground not quite hard enough to break his neck. 

Vegeta scowled down at Raditz. "Idiot!" he hissed. "What possessed you to think you could defy me? You're a fool as well as a weakling, Raditz!" 

"I am a Saiyan," Raditz said, panting for breath; the pressure on his ribs allowed him barely enough air to stay conscious. "What did you expect? Even under Frieza--" 

"You could barely control your temper!" Vegeta snapped. "You were almost as bad as Nappa!" The crushing pressure on Raditz's chest let up slightly. "Enough of this nonsense! You _will_ take the woman Naranja as your mate." Vegeta's eyes narrowed, and he continued with a snarl, "...since you are so obviously in need of one!" 

Raditz's eyes widened. He knows! And... I'm not dead? 

Vegeta smirked. "I lost my tail--temporarily--to Kakarott's brat, not my nose!" His white-furred tail uncoiled and lashed from side to side in punctuation. 

"Why--" Raditz's eyes were still wide with puzzlement. 

"--are you still alive?" Vegeta finished the question for the prostrate warrior. He smirked again. "My consort is the most beautiful woman on the planet--only a dead man or a lover of boys would not desire Bulma!" His smirk turned vicious, the battle grin of a Saiyan ready to kill. "If you had ever _acted_ on your desire..." 

Raditz jerked his head to one side, in brief negation. "I'm not that much of a fool! But this Naranja--she nearly killed one of my people!" Raditz growled. "I cannot do what you want." 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed again. "The human survived, didn't she? Get over it! You've gotten soft, Raditz--how many times did Nappa beat _you_ for insolence or foolishness? You've forgotten what it is to be Saiyan; you're thinking like a _human_! A beating is nothing." Vegeta's voice was a soft, contemptuous snarl. "Even Gohan, soft as he is, makes nothing of it, and Kakarott _enjoys_ a good, hard fight that leaves him bloody and bruised, like a true Saiyan." 

"Nezumi isn't Saiyan," Raditz said, "and Naranja _crippled_ her!" 

Vegeta's boot moved from Raditz's chest to the ground beside him. "You have become as disgustingly sentimental as Kakarott--and as foolish as ever! If you're so worried about this fragile human, get some senzu from that soft-headed brother of yours and give one to her," Vegeta spat contemptuously. 

"Senzu?" Raditz groaned. "I can't believe I forgot about that!" He staggered to his feet--only to be slammed to the ground once again. 

"I'm not done," Vegeta snarled. "Get the human you are so worried about healed, then take Naranja as your mate." 

"No." 

Vegeta frowned. "I do not understand you, Raditz. She is not ugly, nor is she too young or too old. She is a noble, and you are powerful enough. You already punished her for hurting your human, so once the human is healed, the matter is settled." 

"I don't like her, Vegeta, and she obviously despises me!" Raditz snarled as he rose to one knee. 

Vegeta glared at Raditz. "I don't care about your childish likes and dislikes, or hers; I care about the survival of the Saiyan race! The hybrids are strong, but who knows if their children will be? I will not have the Saiyan race diluted out of existance in a sea of weak humans!" Vegeta turned his head and spat. "Better if Frieza had succeeded in wiping us all out in battle, than to slowly fade away!" 

Raditz bowed his head; he'd learned long ago not to look at Vegeta's face when the bitterness filled his voice. The long-haired warrior could never hide his emotions very well, and Prince Vegeta had no tolerance for any sign of sympathy. Raditz's throat was tight; he could not answer for he knew Vegeta would not listen or understand. 

How could he? Could Vegeta ever understand what Raditz had come to believe, that the Saiyan race _was_ better off dead, the souls of its people released from the trap of eternal re-birth as proud, murderous, damned Saiyans? If they could become like Kakarott or Gohan, even if they were as weak as the human warriors, that would be a far better fate. 

Naranja had been born into that same trap, Raditz realized. He hated her for being what he had been--a Saiyan warrior. It was not Naranja's fault that she was what she was born and raised to be. She'd had no chance to learn otherwise, stranded as she was on a planet of inimical machines. Perhaps she would never see things otherwise, but at least Raditz could keep her from doing harm. 

"As you command, my prince," Raditz heard himself answering. What else could he do? 

* * *

Countless light-years away, a small, thin figure moved silently through a bilious green jungle. Dark eyes peered out from under the tangled trees, carefully studying the open field and empty buildings before it. The hot sun of Jinkousei glinted off metallic spider-shapes here and there; every so often, one of them moved or turned. 

Nostrils flared as a breeze blew across the fields, taking in what scents the wind brought with it. The dark eyes narrowed, and a small face scowled at the faint stench of decay and the still-lingering scent of wood ash and burnt plastic. There was no sign of the smells hoped for, those of fresh blood and scorched meat. 

Zana sighed quietly and shook back her shoulder-length, mud-matted spiky black hair and curled her short tail tightly around her bare waist. The last rags of Zana's clothing had been discarded weeks ago for the comfort of mud-covered nudity in the hot, humid, bug-infested jungle. She padded silently across the jungle floor on bare feet as she circled the perimeter of what had once been the Saiyan stronghold on Jinkousei. 

It looked like she would have another hard day's hunting--the robots hadn't killed any large animals during the night. Sometimes a burhaut or a spike buffalo crossed the perimeter after the fresh grass, and the robots would burn it down. It took extreme care in crawling beneath the sensors and sheltering behind the dead carcass, but one half-burnt carcass pulled out from beneath the robots' guns was more food than the young girl could catch all day. 

It was hard to hide from the robots and hunt enough to keep herself fed. She didn't know how to fly, and big animals were getting wary and scarce; Zana had to go too far away to find them now. She could catch the little stuff, of course, and eat the fruits she knew were safe to eat because they were what they had always eaten at home-- 

\--Zana squeezed her eyes shut hard. Mustn't think of home, there is no home now, mustn't think of it! Only Perejil, and he'd gone far away to get help. That was why she went hungry so many nights; it was hard to hunt all day to get enough little things to eat and hide from the robots at the same time, and stay near the launch pad, waiting for her brother to come back with help. 

Peree told you to hide! Hunting around the town isn't hiding! she scolded herself. What if the witch caught Peree? What if he never comes back? 

Zana shivered and held herself. No! He'll come back! Peree has to come back! 

Peree told you that the witch would catch either him or you! Zana's pessimistic side told her. The witch hasn't come back, and Peree hasn't come back, so she must have caught him! 

No! No! I won't listen! The robots are here, so the witch must be near, too. They are hers. Peree will come back with help; he has to! 

What if he doesn't? What if the witch got him like she got momma and papa? 

Zana choked back a sob. No sounds, not so close to the robots! She shook her head in mute denial of her fears. Mustn't think that! Mustn't, mustn't, mustn't! 

WHAT IF HE DOESN'T COME BACK? 

...I don't know. I don't know what to do without Peree. 

* * *

Trunks very carefully slid the window open and slipped over the broad sill. He was only a little bit late for lunch; with luck, Mom was busy with Grandpa's project and wouldn't notice. As for Papa... 

Trunks darted into the bathroom and stripped his clothes off for a quick shower. He'd tell Papa he'd been practicing his flying--which was mostly true--and lost track of time--which was also true. 

After the shower, he tossed on a clean pair of shorts and a tank top--Mom always insisted that he be clean at meals. Trunks didn't see the point, as he would just get all sweaty and dirty again after lunch, but that was Mom. Goten said his mom did the same thing, so maybe it was a mom thing. Papa certainly didn't care whether he smelled like a pair of old socks, and he had a much better sense of smell than Mom. Why, mom couldn't even smell when he'd cut himself bad enough to bleed--but Papa knew every time! 

Trunks ran into the kitchen toward the refrigerator--and stopped. Luck was not with him. 

"TRUNKS! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" shrieked Bulma. She stood in the middle of the kitchen, hands on her hips, looking very, very angry. If Trunks had been a bit older, he might have recognized the overtones of fear and worry in her voice, but he was still young. 

Trunks pasted the semblance of a hearty smile on his face. "Out practicing my flying. It's so cool, I can fly for miles and even carry someone--" 

"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME??" 

Trunks winced as his mother's shout rang in his sensitive ears. He looked at his mother with wide-eyed innocence. "Was I supposed to?" 

"Don't give me that innocent routine, young man!" Bulma's voice dropped back to its normal range, which worried Trunks; he knew from experience that he was in real trouble now. "There's a berserk Saiyan running about, and people are getting hurt, maybe killed, and you disappeared without a word! What was I to think? That you'd been killed? And all this time you've been off practicing flying, without bothering to let me know--" 

Bulma stopped abruptly; her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You can carry 'someone'? Just who were you carrying?" 

"Um, Goten?" 

"Goten?" Her voice rose to a shriek again. "YOU WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE SON HOUSE WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE??" 

Trunks smile was rather sickly now. "Mrs. Son knew--" 

"--that you had come over to play with Goten--I bet you didn't tell her that I had no idea where you were, did you, young man?" 

"Well, um, she didn't ask..." 

Bulma rolled her eyes and appealed to the heavens, "Now I know what Chi-chi has been going through for all these years with Gohan! And he's such a nice, quiet boy!" Bulma braced her hands on her hips and glared sternly at Trunks. "Did you get in a fight with anyone or anything? Was Goku involved?" 

The smile disappeared from Trunks' face and he shook his head hurriedly. "No, Mom! It wasn't anything like that! Goten 'n' I just went and explored the wrecked spaceship, that was all--" Trunks clapped a hand over his mouth; he'd said too much. 

Bulma blinked. "Let me get this straight: you went over to the Son house without letting anyone know where you were going, and then you took Goten--without telling Chi-chi where you were going, I bet--and explored an alien spaceship full of killer robots for fun?" 

"But Mom, there weren't any robots left!" 

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS! ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK??" Bulma's voice dropped back down to normal range. "Young man, you are _grounded_ until you learn some responsibility! You can go to your room and stay there until dinner time, and you can plan on spending the rest of your weekend there! Come Monday, you don't leave the grounds except to go to school unless your father or I are with you, period!" 

"But Mom--" 

"I don't want to hear it, Trunks! You knew better than this, didn't you?" 

Trunk stared at his toes and nodded slowly, cheeks flaming. "Yes, momma." 

Bulma looked at her erring child; he only called her 'momma' when he was miserable. "Well, you can have lunch, first. It'd be cruelty to make you miss a meal--but then you go straight to your room, understand?" 

"Yes, Mom!" 

* * *

Goten yawned and sat up; his afternoon nap was over. A movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention; Goten turned and looked out the window. His smile turned to a puzzled frown. 

The ghost boy was still there, dark eyes imploring Goten for help. Goten glanced up at the paper charm hanging in the window that kept out spirits. No, he wouldn't touch that--Momma said not to, and Goten knew that he could go outside and talk to the boy-- 

\--Except that he couldn't. Inside or outside, he couldn't understand what the boy wanted so badly. This bothered Goten; he wanted to help, but he didn't even know what was wrong. 

As he pulled on his pants and shirt, Goten thought about the problem. Normally, if he didn't know what to do, he asked Momma or Gohan. This time, he didn't think big brother would help much; Gohan never really listened when Goten told him about the local spirits and sometimes acted like he thought Goten was making it all up! Goten pulled his slippers on and wandered out to the kitchen. Maybe Momma could help... 

"Momma?" 

Chi-chi put down the bunch of bok choy she was cleaning and looked down at her youngest child. The expression on Goten's face was unusually serious. "What is it, honey?" 

"There's a little boy who needs help, but I don't know what to do," Goten told her. 

Chi-chi put down the vegetable cleaver and pulled off her apron. "What?? Where? What's wrong? Who is it?" 

Goten said, trotting toward the door, "I don't know his name, 'cause I can't understand what he's saying, an' I don't know what's wrong, 'cause I can't understand him, but he keeps coming and looking at me so sad and he talks to me, an' I can tell he's asking me to help, an' I think he's about to cry he's so sad, BUT I CAN'T UNDERSTAND HIM!" Goten wailed as he caught sight of the ghost boy waiting outside the kitchen door. 

Chi-chi stopped abruptly. "Goten," she said in a very serious tone that stopped Goten in his tracks, "where is this boy?" 

Goten pointed at the kitchen door. "He's right outside, but I don't think you can see him." 

Chi-chi looked, and saw nothing. "Is he 'not-fun'?" 

Goten nodded. 

"I see," was all Chi-chi said, but there was a tone of cold anger that scared Goten. What had he done wrong? 

"Go to room, Goten, and stay there. Whatever the ghost boy does, _don't go outside!_ " Chi-chi said sternly. 

"But Momma! Why? What did I do--" 

"Hush, Goten, and do what I said. It's not your fault, I just don't want you to be tricked again." 

"Yes, Momma." Goten scampered back to his room. 

* * *

Chi-chi could not see Goten's ghost boy, or she would have been considerably more worried than she was--half-starved, dead twelve-year-old Saiyan boys were, to say the least, uncommon on Earth. All she knew was that a ghost was harassing _her_ baby; it was not to be tolerated! 

Not for an instant did Chi-chi think that Goten was making it up; though she had neither Goten's supernatural sight, nor a foot in both worlds the way her father did, she still had enough of her father's blood to be vaguely aware of the spirit world. There was _something_ around, something lost and upset--something that might be dangerous to her youngest child. 

"Father! Stop watching TV and come out here! I need your help!" 

Ox-King's amiable rumble came from the living room, "Coming Chi-chi!" A few seconds later the enormous figure of the Ox-King squeezed through the small (to him) door to the kitchen. "What's wrong?" 

Chi-chi sighed. "There's a ghost harassing Goten, father. Could you look around outside and take care of it?" 

"A ghost? Hmmm, that's interesting. We haven't had one around here since Raditz--" 

"Daddy! I don't care about that, just make it stop bothering my baby!" 

"Okay, Chi-chi." Ox-King strolled out the door and looked around. Nothing in either direction. On a hunch, he padded quietly around to Goten's window--and caught sight of a small spectral figure darting into the woods. Ox-King blinked and took off his thick glasses, cleaned them, and peered at the area of woods the ghost had vanished into. 

"Hmmm, I think I scared him. He's very shy," Ox-King muttered, then turned to glance at Goten's window. Goten looked back out the window, looking sad. 

"I think big people scare him," Goten said. "He ran when you came out." A single tear spilled down his cheek. "He's scared and all alone and doesn't know what to do, Grandpa." 


	9. Chapter 8

Nezumi was half-conscious for quite some time before she realized she was awake. For that time, she just lay still, unthinking, her mind still wrapped in a nice warm haze of sedatives and anesthetics. Eventually Nezumi realized that she was laying on a bed, and that someone was near her. Her left arm was stiff and heavy, and her body felt uncomfortable. Presently it occurred to her to open her eyes and look around. 

She lay in a hospital bed, her arm was in a cast, her ribs were taped up, and the usual IV tubes and monitoring devices were hooked up. Sitting next to her bed, looking worried, was her roommate, friend, and co-worker Lina. 

"Hi," Lina said when she saw Nezumi looking at her. "How do you feel?" 

"Like I got into the Narcotics evidence locker," Nezumi answered groggily. Her tongue felt awkward and heavy in her mouth. 

Lina smiled weakly. "I guess the anesthesia hasn't entirely worn off, and they're going to keep you on painkillers for a while yet." 

"What happened?" Nezumi asked. 

Lina frowned and looked down. "She hit you." 

Nezumi didn't need to ask who she was. "She _hit_ me? You mean, beat me nearly to death, right? I can't remember it, though." 

Lina shook her head. "No, she only hit you once." Lina bit her lip. "She's like Raditz and Vegeta, 'Zumi. She can level the city if she gets a notion to do so." 

"But... why?" Nezumi was bewildered. "What did I do to her--oh." 

Lina nodded. "Word is, you talked back to her. She didn't like that. Like I said, she's like Raditz... or Vegeta." 

Nezumi caught the bitterness in her voice. "Not Radi--he's _not_ like that!" she protested. 

"I don't know," Lina answered. "She's still there. They haven't done anything about her, and Raditz has been gone who knows where for two days now. Word is, Vegeta is protecting this Naranja because she's a noblewoman of his people, and he and Ms. Bulma had an awful fight over it. I don't know if it's even safe for her anymore, and I don't know whose side Raditz is on." 

"Lina... it can't be as bad as you're making out! People don't change overnight, you know that!" Nezumi felt suddenly tired; major surgery did that. 

Lina noticed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have put this all on you! It's just my silly worries--forget about it." She smiled, but it was a false smile. 

Nezumi's eyes closed as she fell back asleep. Lina doesn't trust Raditz anymore, she thought. Is she right? And what do we do? 

* * *

Nezumi next woke up in the middle of the night. She immediately became aware of the presence next to her, and turned her head to look. 

Raditz sat next to her bed, his immense frame and mass of hair dwarfing the cheap padded chair that the hospital provided for visitors. He watched her, his eyes wide and dark in the dim glow of the nightlight, his face as somber as his dark grey clothing. 

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you up," the big Saiyan said softly. 

"It's okay," Nezumi said. "I don't think it was you; I think the painkillers are wearing off." As she tossed off the polite excuse, she realized it was true--she could feel the aches and itches and general unpleasantness of her injuries. She squinted at Raditz's shadowy form. "How long have you been sitting there?" 

"About three hours," he answered. 

"Then it definitely wasn't you, or I would have woken up when you came in." Nezumi wondered why she felt so anxious to put Raditz at ease--shouldn't she be angry at him or something? 

"Where's Lina?" she asked abruptly. 

"She went home about three hours ago." Raditz smiled wryly. "She's... a bit angry with me, so I waited until she left. I'm sorry." 

"No need to apologize," Nezumi said, and again wondered why. Of course Radi-kun would want to apologize for not being there when Nezumi was hurting-- Why?? What am I thinking here? 

"Yes, there is. What I--no never mind, but-- I'm sorry, 'Zumi. You would not be here if I had not rescued Naranja. I should have known better, I should have remembered what my own people were like." He stared down at his hands, avoiding Nezumi's eyes. 

"Maybe the painkillers haven't worn off yet, because what you just said makes no sense," said Nezumi. 

Raditz sighed. "To put it plainly: Naranja is a brutal killer, _I_ _knew it_ , because we are the same kind, but I rescued her from certain death and brought her back to Capsule Corp anyway. Therefore, it is my fault," Raditz said, his voice curiously impassive. 

"What?" Between Raditz and Lina, Nezumi decided she'd heard enough nonsense for one night. "If you're just like her, why did you rescue _me_ and save my life? Don't be an ass, Raditz--you don't look good with long ears and a tail--okay, forget the tail part, you already have one. But you're being silly! And no kittens for lunch if you keep this up. Oh, forget it," she said, "I can't say this right, the drugs have my thoughts all screwed up. But you know what I mean." 

The ghost of a smile quirked the corner of Raditz's mouth. "I think I do... but I still allowed it to happen, and it's my job to make sure she doesn't hurt anyone again. If I can." His shoulders slumped and he sighed. Seemingly at random Raditz asked, "Can you eat?" 

"No, they've got me on intravenous glucose right now, but they should start me on delicious hospital food tomorrow or the next day," Nezumi answered, slightly confused. 

"No, no. I don't mean 'Are you _allowed_ to eat?', I mean 'Is it physically possible for you to eat?'. Can you chew and swallow right now?" Raditz leaned forward, an odd intensity in his voice. 

"Ye-yes, I think so." 

"Good." Raditz reached into a pocket and pulled out a small pouch; from it he extracted what looked like a bean. "Eat this," he said, placing the bean in her mouth. "It'll help you get better." 

"Mm-mmph?" Nezumi asked as she chewed. "Oooooh!" She gasped as warmth flooded through her, healing newly-stitched wounds, fusing broken and cracked bones, restoring her energy and health. 

Raditz smirked. "See you at work," he said, rising to his feet and padding out quietly. 

* * *

Naranja paced the breadth and length of her magnificent instant mansion, stalking up one corridor, down the stairs, up another. Where was that useless, low-born scum Raditsu? He'd been gone for two days, _after_ the prince told Naranja that Raditsu had submitted to Vegeta's wishes, and would indeed be her mate. Naranja growled to herself; so much for the hope that Raditsu's irrational and rebellious behavior would bring Vegeta's wrath down upon him. It had been unlikely at best, but it would have been preferable to Naranja's other plan. 

She grimaced; loathsome as her part must be, it could not begin without Raditsu--and he was missing. Damn Kinoko and all her brats! Even killing them was a frustrating task. 

_The relay is operational; what are my commands?_

Naranja paused in her restless pacing. Not now, she thought; I don't want to bother with this now. 

_Orders are needed._

What are they doing--ah. They follow the contingency plan. Let them carry on; the opposition will be stronger than originally projected. They will need enhanced weaponry. 

_Not understood._

Naranja frowned. The local technology is much higher than expected, and there are several people who may be as strong as the Saiyans. I have obtained plans for a weapons system much more powerful than yours. Use it. 

_Data transmitted. When will Vegeta be neutralised?_

I'm still working on that! He is very strong; I must find someone stronger than he.... 

With that thought in her mind, Naranja stepped off an upper balcony and drifted into the sky, toward the east. 

* * *

BAM-BAM-BAM! A chain of energy bursts detonated, destroying the tiny training robots furiously pursuing Vegeta around the gravity chamber. Vegeta smirked ferociously, flipping across the chamber under 500 gravities to blast, upside-down, the last training 'bot. Landing lightly on his feet, burning gold hair swaying slightly, he flipped off the gravity generator. 

Gravity dropped back to the feeble pull of the Earth alone, and Vegeta smirked again as he relaxed. His hair still blazed golden as he opened the chamber door and stared out at the blue morning sky. A trail of white fire streaked through the air toward Vegeta, who arched his brows slightly as he recognized the incoming ki. 

"Took you long enough," Vegeta said as Raditz alighted in front of him. 

Raditz said, "Senzu beans are not only scarce, they have a price--a price I could meet easily enough, but it was... time-consuming." He smiled briefly, amused at some private joke. His eyes widened slightly as he looked Vegeta over. 

"Yes," Vegeta smirked, tilting his golden crest of hair from side to side, "I have achieved Kakarott's level--I remain a Super-Saiyan even while resting! And, since I trained at 500 gravities while Kakarott exercised lightly in this world's feeble gravity, I am far stronger than he can possibly be!" He clenched one fist and grinned wickedly, then glanced at Raditz; Vegeta's grin faded into his usual scowl. 

"Well, go find Naranja and make your arrangements with her!" Vegeta snapped. 

Raditz frowned slightly. "I would, but she is away on one of her excursions." 

"Wait until she gets back, then," Vegeta said, feeling generous. He was ready to test himself against the one opponent who mattered; Raditz's wayward mate-to-be was Raditz's problem, not Vegeta's. Without another word, Vegeta soared into the sky, flying toward the east and Karkarott's hunting grounds. 

Today would be a _good_ day; Vegeta was finally the most powerful Saiyan, and, after two days unexplained absence, Raditz had returned ready to obey his prince's command, much to Vegeta's relief. Vegeta had discovered he was curiously reluctant to kill the usually loyal warrior, but if Raditz's insubordination had continued.... 

But it hadn't, and Vegeta had not had to enforce his will. Just as well; if he'd killed Raditz, he would have had to mate with the woman himself, and that would have caused no end of problems. "I might as well have brought that snake-woman Kadru home with me," Vegeta muttered to himself. 

Today was not a day for petty problems. After seven long years, Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyans was ready. He had trained for years to become Super-Saiyan, only to watch with horror as Kakarott died saving them all from Cell. Saving them all when Vegeta could not even save his own son, laying bare Vegeta's failure and weakness for all to see--then, after humiliating Vegeta, cruelly robbing the Saiyan prince of any chance at revenge by dying in battle! But then, three years later, Kakarott returned only to witness Vegeta's death, a death that again robbed Vegeta of any chance to avenge his pride. 

But now, after his own death and odyssey through the hells, learning new techniques in the underworld, and returning to life to train for yet another year, Vegeta was the best he could be. He'd been ready for months, but Naranja's presence reminded him anew of everything he'd lost: father, world, people, _pride_.... 

It was time, time to prove that he was indeed the prince of _all_ Saiyans-- 

"KAKAROTT!" Vegeta howled to the uncaring sky. "PREPARE YOURSELF! IT'S TIME!" 

* * *

Goku felt the roiling, polluted ki long before he saw or heard any other sign of Naranja's presence. She flew north and south, sweeping the mountains--probably looking for him. He was also aware of Vegeta's furious energies away to the west, Gohan at home, and Raditz to the south, as he was always aware of every ki of import. 

As he was also aware of the small, elusive ghost that haunted the windowsill of Goten's room every night. Goku frowned; the ghostly boy was too shy to talk to him, though Goku had waved to him and said "Hello" several times. In his younger days, Goku would have thought the boy rude, but he could tell the boy was scared, very scared of someone. The boy watched him, though; Goku could see him lurking in the shadow of the trees whenever he worked around the house. 

Who was he, and what did he want? To Goku, it was obvious that the ghost boy approached Goten because Goten, was, well, a child, and not very scary to another boy. Only, Goten couldn't understand him. 

Goku scratched his head; the ghost child was a Saiyan--maybe he spoke Saiyan and no other language? If Raditz or Vegeta could see or hear the child, they might know. Goku didn't know if they could or not. He had learned to see spirits after dying and becoming one the first time, but it had taken practice, practice he'd gotten when Vegeta had visited him from Hell to give him his pride and strength against Frieza, and later, to warn him not to act prematurely against Cacodemon. Raditz and Vegeta had both died once, but did they know how to look into the Spirit World? 

One other thing Goku knew: the child was very, very afraid of Naranja. Whenever her twisted ki drew near, he hid someplace deep and dark. Goku didn't like that: a dead Saiyan child whose lost spirit could not rest--murdered, perhaps? And the boy feared the vicious Naranja more than anything else. What had Naranja done? 

As he finished chopping up the tree he had felled, Goku felt Naranja's tainted ki pause overhead, and drop down. He was unsurprised when she alighted several yards away. 

"There you are," she said with a touch of petulance. "You're not hiding from me, are you, Bardock?" 

Goku sighed with exasperation. "I'm still not Bardock. What do you want, Naranja?" His normally friendly face was closed and hard. 

Naranja drew back, gathering herself up like an angry tiger ready to leap. "You have gone native for too long, Bardock--you're forgetting who and what you are!" she hissed. "You _were_ the greatest warrior I've ever commanded, and my best sergeant, too. Remember that! Don't you long for battle? Do you not remember the shrieks of the dying and the hot blood of your enemies falling on you like rain? Don't you want to test your strength against a worthy enemy, matching him blow for blow, power for power until he falls at last, broken and empty-eyed at your feet? Don't you? Anything else is weakness!" 

"I'm not like you, Naranja; I don't hurt innocent people," Goku answered, watching the Saiyan woman warily. 

" _Innocent_? What does that matter?" Naranja snarled. "If they are too weak to survive, they deserve to die!" Her eyes narrowed and her eyebrows arched angrily. "I heard what happened to Kakarott--he went completely native, actually _bred_ with the local vermin!" she spat. "At least Raditsu hasn't fallen that low." She looked Goku over. "I hope for your sake that _you_ dealt suitably with Kakarott and his 'mate', but Vegeta will not speak of you--you displeased him, did you not? No wonder he wishes to me to mate with Raditz--you are as one dead to him!" Naranja paused in her ramble, frowning thoughtfully. 

Goku's jaw dropped. "You and Raditz?? That's crazy!" 

"Of course it is! But the prince has commanded--" Naranja stared into Goku's eyes, suddenly intent; Goku shifted uncomfortably, embarassed by her unabashed rudeness. 

Her voice softened. "--but he has not the power to command _you_ , does he? You would not be alive if you were not the stronger--for all his decadence, he has the strength and temper of the Vegetas of old. Yes..." Her face lost the intense expression and she looked away from Goku, inward, considering some option. 

"Yes! Challenge Vegeta--he is unfit to be prince, and you have the power to prove it, Bardock! Challenge him, destroy him, and we shall be as we should have been, all those years ago!" Naranja's voice rose and her fists clenched. "You will be mine, and we will make this weak planet ours, and command the legions of Jinkousei to conquer all!" Her voice rose to a shout, and her eyes were wide and strangely bright. 

"Naranja, that's crazy!" Goku pushed one foot back, unobtrusively slipping into a fighting stance. "I don't want to 'destroy' Vegeta, and I don't want to conquer anything, and--" 

"KAKAROTT!" Vegeta's exultant shout and a flash of brilliant white light announced his sudden arrival. 

Goku looked up; Vegeta stood boldly on air, his fists on his hips, a taunting, wicked smile on his face. Vegeta raised his right hand and pointed down at Goku, crooking his fingers in an invitation. 

Goku grinned wickedly himself; he knew why Vegeta was here. He leaped into the air to face Vegeta, his arms folded, Naranja all but forgotten. 

"Think you can beat me now?" Goku asked, a very Saiyan smirk on his face. He could see the hunger for battle in Vegeta's eyes, feel it quickening in his own veins. He had fought greater opponents: Cell, Cacodemon, Paikuhan, but there was something special about fighting Vegeta--a battle never quite resolved, a question never really answered. Which one of them was the greater? Goku thought he was, but Vegeta challenged him, pushed him to greater heights like no other-- 

\--and Goku's strength challenged Vegeta, pushed Vegeta to excel in ways that no enemy ever had. He hated Kakarott for always staying one step ahead of him, no matter how he tried to catch up and surpass the vulgar peasant--and yet, who but Kakarott had ever challenged him? Without Kakarott, he would never have pushed himself to the Super-Saiyan; without Kakarott, he would never have looked beyond. Without Karkarott, who would he have to fight? A Saiyan with no one to fight was nothing more than a walking corpse awaiting burial. 

"DIE, KAKAROTT!" Vegeta dove toward Goku-- 

Black hair and orange gi, black hair and dark blue bodysuit slammed together, meeting in a frenzied swirl of blows and blocks and feints and dodges. Each Saiyan tested the other, a blow here--dodged, a feint there--blocked, a kick, a strike--blocked or shrugged off. 

As suddenly as they came together, the two warriors pulled apart, each staring the other down. 

"Quit playing around, Kakarott," Vegeta smirked. 

"I will when you do," Goku answered, grinning. 

Vegeta darted up and Goku turned, watching warily as the Saiyan prince rose above him--and then dodged as Vegeta hurled a bolt of white energy down at his rival. Goku responded with a ki ball of his own, only to watch Vegeta slap it away. 

"Enough of this!" Vegeta's hair suddenly blazed golden; Goku yelled wordlessly and his own blazing gold hair and turquoise eyes matched Vegeta's. 

Forgotten by the two avid combatants, Naranja slipped off through the forest, running until she was clear of the battleground, running to the east, toward Goku's home. 


	10. Chapter 10

"Goten! Goten!" A familiar, pale figure waved frantically at Goten from atop a nearby rock. 

Goten looked around, then ducked another swing from Gohan. He was training with his older brother, and the ghost boy, Perejil, had picked a very bad time to talk to him. Distracted, Goten's counterstrike was sloppy, and Gohan slipped easily evaded it and punched Goten solidly in the stomach with _his_ counter. 

"Oof!" Goten folded up and sat down abruptly, holding his stomach. 

"Oops, sorry, Goten! Are you all right? I expected you to block that one!" Gohan stood over him, looking slightly worried. Behind him, Perejil waved his arms then pointed emphatically downhill, toward the house. What did he want? 

"I--" I'm fine, Goten had started to say, then realized that Gohan would just keep on sparring, and Perejil seemed to think _something_ was very important. "I think my tummy hurts. I feel like throwing up," Goten said. "Can I go sit down on the porch for a while?" 

"Sure," Gohan said. "I'll get Mom," he said, starting downhill-- 

"No!" Mom did not like Perejil, and didn't want Goten talking to the ghost boy. "Um, I'll be all right in a little bit. Mom would just get upset." Goten held his stomach and started to shuffle down the hill. 

"If you're sure you'll be okay," Gohan said, still worried. "I'll go split that wood I promised Mom I'd take care of, and if you're still feeling bad after that...." 

Goten nodded, trying to look serious about his 'tummyache' when all he wanted to do was dash down to the house. Instead, he picked his way carefully down the hill, rubbing his stomach as if it hurt. Perejil waved him on frantically, urging him to hurry. 

Goten still couldn't talk with the ghost boy, but they had learned each other's names by the ancient, simple method of point-and-repeat. Perejil had also learned the words of all the objects Goten could point out, but still couldn't or wouldn't put together a sentence Goten could understand. Perejil also seemed to understand that Goten couldn't talk to him around Mom or Gohan, and the ghost boy was too scared of Dad or Grandpa to come out when they were around. 

Perejil looked worried--no, downright scared--and waved Goten around to the back of the house and pointed to the crawlspace under the house. "House," he said, and mimed opening one of the crawlspace panels and crawling in. 

Goten shook his head. "I'm not supposed to go under there," he said. 

Perejil's eyes widened slightly; he didn't understand Goten's words, but he knew what a shake or a nod of the head meant. He gestured more frantically and pushed intangibly at Goten. 

"But Mom told me not to!" Goten protested. 

Perejil looked over his shoulder, toward the west for a moment, and Goten could see sheer terror in Perejil's eyes when the ghost boy looked back at him. " _Canojo kah! Kahkuureiraye! Hahyahkuu_ _kahkuureiraye!_ PLEASE!" 

Goten blinked--Perejil knew that word, too?--but only for an instant. Then he pulled the decorative wood panel aside and dove under the house, heeding Perejil's frantic gestures to replace the concealing panel and hold very, very still. 

* * *

Naranja crouched low, staggering now and then as the earth shook under her feet. Once, the concussion from a nearby blast knocked her off her feet and showered her with ash and dirt. Her mind reeled as she ran toward the crest of the nearest hill, hurrying to put its bulk between her and the cataclysmic battle behind her. 

Prince Vegeta, and Bardock--both of them!--golden haired, glowing with furious energies. Both of them! Safely over the crest of the hill, Naranja put her hands to her head and fought back screams of baffled rage. How could there be TWO of the legendary Super-Saiyan? HOW? 

It was impossible! The Super-Saiyan was the ultimate warrior--he could have no equal. But she had seen the TWO of them--Prince Vegeta and Bardock-- 

_Correction: Vegeta identified the other as 'Kakarott', not Bardock._

That is a mistake, Naranja thought coldly. The prince said, 'Die _like_ Kakarott!'; he did not call him Kakarott. 

_The Saiyan designated 'Bardock' consistantly denies that his name is 'Bardock'. He may indeed be Kakarott._

He is NOT Kakarott! Kakarott is _dead_ , Bardock is alive. If he had died, then everything I've done would be... would be--NO! Bardock is alive! Anything else is a lie and I will not accept it! 

_Kakarott may still be alive as well._

Have I not heard Vegeta refer to him as one dead? Kakarott is dead and should be forgotten like all dead things. 

_What of the other power in this vicinity? It may be Kakarott._

Enough! Kakarott is dead--but I will look for myself, and prove that it is not him. 

_It should be evaluated. Determine if it is a threat._

Naranja lifted into the air, carefully keeping the ridge of hills between herself and the titanic battle to the west. She tuned her scouter as she flew, and tuned it again. Somewhere nearby must be the other astounding power she'd detected in combat with Bardock at various times--but who and where? There was no sign of it now. 

There were a couple of weak powers nearby, close to the southeast--stronger than the usual vermin on this planet, but nothing to challenge even a third-class Saiyan. At a loss, Naranja swerved toward the readings. 

The forested hills opened out into a wide river valley dotted with widely separated dwellings. The forest ran nearly to the eaves of the nearest such dwelling-- 

\--Naranja reared back in shock as a man flew up to face her. No, not a man, a youth--Naranja stared at the spiky Saiyan hair, the too-round, vermin-like eyes, the small, un-Saiyan ears and recoiled. Bile filled the back of her throat; Kakarott had indeed consorted with vermin, and this--this _thing_ , this abortion of a true Saiyan was the result! 

He stared at her. "Hi. Um, what do you want?" Gohan asked--then glanced westward as the sky flashed white and thunder cracked. 

Naranja stared back at him, horrified. Why hadn't Vegeta destroyed this thing when he killed Kakarott? Something crawled in Naranja's gut as she remembered Vegeta's peculiar attitude toward the blue-haired female... Had Vegeta himself--? No, it was unthinkable! But what of the purple-haired child she'd seen in the distance from time to time? Surely he belonged to the vermin! 

"Oh, no!" Gohan looked west. "Dad's fighting Vegeta!" 

_Dad?_ This was _Bardock's_ son? How could he--this was not Kakarott! Kakarott was a true Saiyan, even if he was the witch's brat. This one was too young to be the dead witch's child--and half-vermin! Naranja looked beyond Gohan at the rambling house; movement drew her gaze. A woman--one of the vermin females--stood on the front porch of the dwelling. It all became horribly clear. No wonder Vegeta didn't speak of Bardock; the former peasant had gone native and bred with the vermin himself! 

Naranja screamed, and summoned power. A blackness flickered before her eyes, and when it passed, everything was washed with red from the lurid corona flashing around her body. Rage hammered her, rage at wasted years for a worthless peasant--it hadn't been the witch alone, he'd betrayed her willingly, left her for that long-haired bitch--he'd pay, like she paid, they would die, all of them, die screaming at Naranja's hand like the other traitors---! 

She slammed her hands together and a single titanic, red-tinged blast lashed out at Gohan. Forewarned by her enraged scream, Gohan dodged nimbly aside; white fire crackled translucently around his body as the young demi-Saiyan drew on his power. 

Naranja's eyes were wide and empty; with a bestial howl she hurled a ball of white energy down toward the Son homestead-- 

Gohan dove down and slapped the energy ball away, high into the atmosphere where it exploded. His hand tingled; it was far more powerful than he'd expected. 

"You could have hurt someone!" Gohan said angrily, his black hair bristling like any true Saiyan's as he lunged upward to strike at Naranja. 

* * *

Miles away, a mountain shuddered as Goku's body slammed into it, deep into it. Three tremendous blasts crashed into Goku, pile-driving him into the relatively brittle shale of the mountain. 

Goku spat out a mouthful of blood and tore himself free of the rock, grinning like a maniac. Vegeta hovered above the mountain, waiting for the dust to settle enough for a clear shot at his low-born nemesis. 

Goku generated two balls of ki and sent them spiralling through the dust cloud, while he himself hurtled back and around. As he'd hoped, Vegeta pursued the wrong ki source, and Goku got behind him-- 

"Uhn!" Now it was Vegeta's turn to slam into the ground as Goku's elbow caught him in the small of the back. Goku sent a small kamehameha down after him, blowing a sizable chunk out of the ground and into the air, where it rained down as ash and dust. This time, Goku waited for the dust to settle-- 

The thunder crack of shattered rock was too slow to warn Goku; Vegeta appeared suddenly in front of him, and in the blink of an eye buried his fist into Goku's stomach. He followed it with a second blow to Goku's stomach, and then slammed the momentarily breathless Saiyan into the ground with a brutal double-handed blow to Goku's back. Vegeta followed him down to the ground, landing cruelly hard on Goku's back with both booted feet. He then leaped into the air and hurled a tremendous plume of energy at the prostrate Saiyan... 

Goku dragged himself to his feet; his gi was in tatters and blood trickled from dozens of cuts and scrapes. He wiped the blood out of his eyes and grinned at Vegeta, who was equally tattered and torn. 

"You're getting really good, you know that?" Goku said. 

Vegeta spat out a mouthful of blood and wrapped his tail more tightly around his waist. The length of white fur tingled, and his fur bristled; part of him longed to summon the moon and give himself to the ouzaru battle-frenzy. Vegeta squelched the desire ruthlessly. Once before, Kakarott had proved himself the stronger by forcing Vegeta to become ouzaru to defeat him; that would not happen again. Kakarott would fall by Vegeta's hand, and know once and for all that Vegeta was greater than him in _all_ ways. 

Vegeta smirked--and then whirled toward the east, frowning. What the--? 

Goku's head snapped up and he looked eastward as well. "That's Gohan! He's fighting Naranja!" 

"What is that idiotic woman doing?" Vegeta snapped. "She has no reason to fight Gohan, and shouldn't even be out here!" He lifted into the air and surged eastward. "I'll deal with you later, Kakarott!" 

Goku's only answer was the flicker of light as he put two fingers to his forehead and vanished. 

* * *

At the last instant, Gohan pulled his punch. Naranja's head snapped back and she sprawled ungracefully in mid-air before regaining her equilibrium. Naranja snarled, baring her teeth, and leapt for Gohan's throat, striking and kicking. 

Gohan dodged and blocked her furious attacks with ease; her training and speed were far less than his. He was reluctant to strike back; it felt wrong to hit a woman, especially one so much weaker than him. Only the worst kind of bullies did that. He felt ashamed at losing his temper and punching her the first time. 

Naranja sprang back, breathing hard; for all her effort, she had not landed one blow on Gohan. She screamed and the lurid red glow around her intensified. 

"Die like the vermin you are, son of Bardock!" A globe of seething red energy formed between her hands and began to grow-- 

Gohan backed away, unsettled by the new attack form, though his senses told him that Naranja was still too weak to do him harm. 

\--the globe expanded to twice Naranja's size, and then she shoved it toward Gohan, pouring power into from behind. The globe continued to expand, surging toward Gohan-- 

\--Gohan dodged easily aside from the slow-moving globe, only to watch it turn and dip downward, straight toward his unprotected home! Gohan dove, and intercepted the globe-- 

WHAAAAMMMM! It exploded in an immense ball of fire, completely enveloping Gohan. The outermost radius of the fireball vaporized the tops of three trees standing near the Son house, and slightly slinged the roof. Gohan was untouched. 

Naranja gaped in astonishment at the slim adolescent half-Saiyan. What kind of power did this brat have? She gasped as two strong arms looped under hers, pinning her from behind. 

"Stop!" Goku said in her ear. "There's no need for that." 

"ENOUGH!" Vegeta's shout rang out, followed shortly by the prince himself, interposing himself between Naranja and Gohan. 

Naranja froze; Vegeta's clothes were in tatters, and copious cuts and bruises covered his body, but his power remained undiminished--and far too high for Naranja's scouter to register. "MAX OVERRUN" blinked at her every time she looked in his direction. 

"Idiot woman! What do you think you are doing?" Vegeta snarled wrathfully. 

Naranja paled with momentary fear at Vegeta's anger, then flushed with anger. She had depended on Bardock to protect her from this decadent Vegeta, but even Bardock had turned perverse over the soft years. Still, he was the only one who could defeat Vegeta. Ignoring Vegeta, she turned her head so she could see Goku. 

"Forgive me, Bardock. I became angry when I discovered how soft you had let yourself become, and tried to destroy that which has made you soft. It was not my right; that right belongs to you and the prince alone." The bile of shame tasted bitter in Naranja's mouth as she looked back at Vegeta, "I will return to Capsule Corporation, my prince, and do as you have commanded." 

Vegeta frowned, and folded his arms. "Do that, immediately." Vegeta turned his head and spat to one side. "You are only useful as Raditz's mate, now," he said. "You are too weak and lack the discipline a true warrior must have." 

Naranja flushed red again. "As you command," she snarled, her voice shaking with rage at the mortal insult. 

"You're being too hard on her, Vegeta," Goku said as he released her. "She can learn better." 

Power gathered around Naranja; she gave Goku a single, bitter glance and was gone, hurtling westward toward the city and Capsule Corporation. 

Vegeta glared at Goku. "And you are too soft on Gohan! He was too sentimental to properly chastise the woman, as he should have done--now I must treat an elite noble like an ill-mannered child, which is an insult to her pride and mine." 

"GOKU! YOU GET DOWN HERE!" Chi-chi yelled from the front porch as she jumped up and down waving her broom. 

Vegeta smirked. "This fight isn't over, Kakarott--I'll see you after I deal with Naranja and Raditz." White fire swept over Vegeta and he, too, hurtled westward. 

* * *

"GOKU! SHE TRIED TO KILL MY GOHAN!" Chi-chi shrieked. 

"Um, Mom, she wasn't that strong. She couldn't hurt me, really," Gohan said. 

"I don't care! She nearly blew up the house! I won't have that sort of thing going on!" Chi-chi held her broom in a deathgrip and snapped at Gohan and Goku--then she looked at Goku, taking in his tattered clothes and injuries for the first time. 

"GOKU! What happened to you??" Chi-chi threw down her broom and threw her arms around Goku, feeling his arms and body for broken bones and major wounds. 

"Ah, I'm okay, Chi-chi--but I'm awfully hungry. Vegeta and I had a good fight--" 

Chi-chi shrieked and collapsed into Gohan's arms. "You were fighting Vegeta? Are you trying to get killed? Goku!" 

Goku scratched the back of his head. "Well, Vegeta's gotten a lot better, but I'm still better than he is, and--" 

"Goku! You never think about how I feel when you fight! I wish you would stop scaring me like that!" Big tears welled up in Chi-chi's eyes, and Goku shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. 

Looking decidedly unhappy, Goku said, "I'll try, Chi-chi. I didn't mean to upset you, I really didn't." He wasn't sure how he would stop scaring her, because Goku really didn't know what he was doing, exactly, to upset her. There were some facets to Chi-chi that were beyond his understanding, and this was one of them. A thought occurred to him, and his face brightened. 

"Chi-chi, do we have anything to eat? I'm hungry!" 

Chi-chi folded her arms and scowled furiously. "If you think I'm going to cook you dinner after such rude, inconsiderate behavior--" She broke off abruptly at the woebegone expression on Goku's face; Chi-Chi never could resist those big, dark, puppy-dog eyes. "Oh, all right! But you change into some decent clothes first!" she said as she stomped off toward the kitchen. 

Goku smiled as a confused Gohan looked on. It always made Chi-chi happy to cook a delicious meal for Goku, and he always appreciated it heartily. Goku knew that within seconds of entering the kitchen, Chi-chi's fears and anger would be completely forgotten. 

* * *

Hundreds of miles away, Eighteen stared alternately at the sandy beach and the letter in her hand. Little Marron played contentedly in the sand at her feet, building sand castles and sand villages. Not far away, Kulilin lazed in the warm water, letting the waves rock him gently. 

"Penny for your thoughts, babe?" Kulilin asked, noticing his wife's pensive mood. 

Eighteen looked up abruptly. "Yeah, why not? I'm sick of looking at sand. Kulilin, let's take a vacation!" 

Kulilin stood up in the shallow water. "Vacation? Hey, this is a permanent vacation! Except when I'm training, of course." 

Eighteen snorted. "Yeah, well, everyone else I know calls this 'unemployment and poverty'." As Kulilin's face fell, Eighteen shook her head. "Nah, I'm not starting _that_ argument up again." She held up the letter she'd been reading. "My brother Seventeen wrote--" 

"--he can write? Who'd have thought it?" wisecracked Kulilin. 

Eighteen glared at him. "As I was saying, my brother wrote and invited us up for a visit. And, like I said, I'm sick of sand, and I haven't seen Seventeen in years, and he's never seen Marron, so we'll go." 

Kulilin blinked. "Uh, okay. Where are we going?" 

"He's got a cottage up in the western mountains. I'll get Marron and me packed up, and we can fly there after lunch. Fortunately we can fly there ourselves, since we certainly don't have enough money to buy plane tickets, or even bus tickets," Eighteen concluded, unable to resist a final barb. 

Kulilin flushed. "Yeah, I'll be packed by lunchtime; remind me to tell Master Roshi when he gets up." 

* * *

"GOTEN! GOTEN, WHERE ARE YOU?" 

"Over here," Goten waved at Gohan from under the house when he heard him calling. He crawled out from under and stood in front of his big brother. 

"Is she gone?" the little boy asked. 

Gohan nodded and looked Goten over. "You're all right?" 

Goten nodded. "I hid from the bad lady; she scared me!" 

Gohan looked thoughtful. "I'm glad you did; she's nasty and might try to hurt you or mom. Anyway, Mom's cooking dinner early, so come on," he said, jerking his head toward the kitchen door. 

"Okay!" Goten said, heading for the back door--then stopped to glance back under the house. He waved to Perejil to come out, but the ghost boy stayed where he was, huddled in a ball, whimpering with fear. 

It would be days before he came out again. 

END OF PART I


	11. Chapter 11

# Part II. Deception

Naranja flew back, humiliation fueling the rage in her heart. Bardock had abandoned her again, for yet _another_ woman--a _vermin_ woman! What was wrong with the man? Couldn't he see where he belonged? Couldn't he see that Naranja... _needed_ him? 

She'd needed him on Kyaradamit, too.... 

_Commander Naranja studied the half-ruined city through her scouter. Fires raged unchecked, shining brightly in the dark night; here and there, the Saiyan glimpsed movement. No consequential power; one good blast would finish the residents of this city and whatever lesser soldiery remained. She turned to Turni, her new sergeant._

_"They've retreated. Send Kuerbis to scout for the rest of the army, and take the rest in and level the place!" Naranja ordered._

_Turni brought his hand up to his chest in a crisp salute. "As you command!" A tap, tap on his scouter, and he was rapidly issuing orders._

_Naranja permitted herself a satisfied smirk. Perhaps Turni was not quite as powerful as Bardock had been, but he never argued with orders. Turni's only concern was to obey his commander, not show off that could he come up with a better plan than hers--unlike the Saiyan he'd replaced. And _he_ didn't harp incessantly on the need for a full moon even for weak planets like this! _

_As the squad swept in, Naranja tuned her scouter to Kuerbis' frequency. If the scout found anything interesting leaving the city, she wanted first crack at it. As a result, Naranja didn't notice the ambush until two of the squad were already down, and Turni dared to override the command channel._

_"Commander! There's hundreds of them--Sarga's already down, and--" Turni's voice was abruptly cut off._

_Naranja spun in mid-air, turning toward the explosions ripping through the city center. What the hell? She tapped her scouter--no powers of consequence--a hundred or so weak natives-- two Saiyans-- ONLY TWO?? Fear--but no Saiyan elite was afraid, so it could not be fear-- gripped the back of her mind and caused her tail to coil more tightly around her waist._

_"Turni?!? Report, Sergeant! Feher? Uborka? Mato? Cukor? Zuerbis? REPORT, DAMN YOU!" Only Kuerbis's scouter still relayed life-signs. Fear and rage shook Naranja as she dove on the heart of the city, both hands blazing with power._

_Something crackled faintly in her ear--Kuerbis' voice said something she couldn't make out. A dozen four-armed figures jetted out of the broken skyscrapers toward her. Somewhere below, she could make out a sprawled figure in Saiyan armor--_

_Naranja had time for a fleeting thought--the natives don't have four arms!--and they were on her. A metallic fist slammed into her chin, snapping her head back with teeth-rattling force. What the--? How could they be that fast? How could they hit like that? The power-levels were all wrong--nothing that weak could kill five Saiyans in five minutes!_

_Power blazed in Naranja's hands and flashed outward, blasting away two of the alien soldiers. Naranja watched as skin and flesh peeled away, revealing steel and wire before it, too, crumbled and burned. Cyborgs!_

_"DAMN YOU!" She screamed, and rage turned into a red fire that burned around her. Even as she blasted the heart from another cyborg, she was grabbed from behind, four steel arms locking around her own. Twisting in mid-air, Naranja flung the monstrosity over her head and ripped two of its arms away--_

_Over a dozen red beams lanced from the eyes of the remaining cyborgs into Naranja's body. An orange ball of energy slammed three cyborgs in reply, sending them plummeting from the sky in pieces. Naranja snarled, one hand still extended. Soot dotted her armor, but the angry Saiyan was unharmed._

_"You're not powerful enough," the noblewoman growled. The five remaining cyborgs seemed to pause and glance at each other. Then they charged._

_Naranja found herself at the center of a whirlwind of steel knives and fists. She dodged this way and that, but the cyborgs were too numerous and too fast. Once, twice, again and again they connected, cracking away armor and slicing Saiyan flesh. Naranja howled with rage and let loose a barrage of dozens of tiny blasts--_

_White energy flared and Naranja tumbled away to rest some distance from the billowing smoke cloud and falling scraps of metal. She panted hard as it cleared--_

_Then the second squad of cyborgs hit her._

_She woke up a week later, in the regeneration tank. Kuerbis, who'd been off scouting at the time of the ambush, had returned in time to pull what was left of her out from under the ruins and send her home in her pod. Unfortunately, he'd not been able to do the same for the rest of the squad before the cyborgs returned to finish the job--and Kuerbis. After confirming that her brain was fully functional, the technicians put her back under for another two weeks._

_The good news, after three weeks in regeneration, was that she was alive, had both eyes, her tail, and could walk under her own power. Her power had even increased! The bad news...._

_Captain Nabo was unmoved. "Lady Naranja, I have no squads for you to command. I need experienced, tough commanders for these new assignments, not a green commander who needs baby-sitting by her sergeant. You've got the power to get in a good squad, though--I'll assign you to Lord Col. He's requested some strong warriors for his company."_

_"I am an elite and a noble! I do not _serve_ in another's squad--I command!" Lady Naranja snarled, the veins on her forehead pulsing with rage. "If you have nothing for me to command, you have nothing to say to me--Captain." _

_Nabo's eyes narrowed. "You are wrong. The king has commanded _all_ warriors without other duties to assist in fulfilling our contracts with Frieza; you will serve where I put you, or you will explain to the king why you have refused his command." _

_Naranja stiffened, and forced herself to salute. "As the king commands," she said through gritted teeth, and that was that._

She'd been humiliated on Kyaradamit, true--but the source of all her humiliation had been that bitch who'd taken Bardock away from her! Thirty years later, the bitch's ghost still haunted her through her brats, dead and alive. Naranja clenched her fists and ground her teeth; Raditz would pay for his mother's crimes. Oh yes, he would pay! 

Naranja shook her head. For such a powerful warrior, Bardock had always been weak in that one regard; he didn't know who was good for him. Once again, she'd have to intervene... but for now, she'd have her revenge on Kin--Raditz. The savage female warrior licked her lips, anticipating the fate she'd planned for him. 

* * *

Raditz stood in front of the mansion, waiting motionlessly as Naranja returned. He did not blink at the flash of white light as she decelerated abruptly and dropped down to the front steps of the manor. 

As she stared at him, brows furrowed, Raditz finally moved, bowing slightly to her as one equal to another. 

"I obey my prince's command," Raditz said, breaking the icy silence. 

Naranja's mouth twisted into a sour frown. "As do I. There is no further point in delaying what we have no choice in; be here tonight. My house... will be yours. Your enemies shall be my enemies, your allies shall be my allies," she said, dragging the words out reluctantly. She hesitated; Raditz waited patiently. "...and our heir shall be of my blood and yours." 

"Your house, and all who dwell within, shall be mine; your enemies shall be my enemies, your allies shall be my allies... and our heir shall be of your blood and mine," Raditz said, slowly finishing the ancient ritual of betrothal. 

"Tonight," she added, "we complete it." A curious smirk crossed her face at Raditz's startled expression. 

"Oh yes," she said. "Even the prince cannot, will not demand this... joining if you are not... capable." Her smile was haughty, contemptuous. "I will find that out tonight, and be done with you, or resign myself to obedience." 

Raditz flushed red; his nostrils flared and his tail uncurled and lashed from side to side. He could not deny, even to himself, that he was the weakest of the Saiyans--inadequate, a burden to be _protected_ in battle, far less of a warrior than an unshaven youth. But Hell take him if he'd let this she-devil rob him of what manhood he had left! 

"You are not so old nor so ugly as that, woman!" Raditz growled as he seized her by both arms. "You are not particularly beautiful, and your attitude disgusts me, but--", he paused, and added scornfully, "it has been thirty years since I have seen a Saiyan woman; my standards are lax. I think you will find me _capable_ enough--though I have quite forgotten how to please a woman. I may be a bit rough-- but since I don't like you, that doesn't bother me at all." 

"Enough, _sheenryoah_!" Naranja twisted in Raditz's grip, and he released her, obedience to ancient custom driven home by the sound of the old Saiyan word for 'bridegroom'. 

"Do not presume to touch me until tonight!" Lady Naranja sneered. "After thirty years, I doubt you can do much of anything useful, let alone be 'rough'." 

Raditz growled as she turned and ascended the stairs into her mansion, "Tonight!" His tail lashed furiously as she disappeared from sight; he found himself shaking from rage and inexplicable desire. 

In spite of her sneers and contemptuous words, Naranja reeked of desire, and the smell of her intoxicated Raditz. It was familiar, tantalizing, arousing. Her barbed words and haughty manner roused something dark and feral in Raditz's psyche; he hungered to drag the arrogant noblewoman off and overpower her, force her to submit to _his_ will, and his will _alone_ \--not Vegeta's! 

Raditz did not question the dark passion that gripped him, not when the intoxicating, lusty smell of her roused his passion for forbidden fruit so long denied. How could he? It ran too close to the black streams of doubt and self-loathing and broken pride in his heart. 

"Tonight!" Raditz growled to himself again as he walked off, tail still switching slowly. In only a few hours... yes, tonight he would do exactly what passion desired. Why not? Raditz told himself; she was a butcher, a murderer of uncounted innocents--whatever he inflicted on her would be far, far less than she deserved. Even so, he would not step over the bounds of custom (though he might violate the spirit of them a good bit); it wouldn't hurt her to be thoroughly humbled for once. 

* * *

"Well?" Vegeta asked a little bit later as he faced Raditz in the central garden. His tail switched impatiently; Trunks was taking his time getting ready for training, and as for Raditz's own stalling! His nostrils flared ever so slightly as a vaguely familiar scent drifted to his nose. Was Bulma around somewhere? No, there was no sign or sound of her in the garden. 

Raditz smirked. "It's settled. Tonight." As Vegeta looked at him with arched brows, Raditz added, "I'll be moving to her manor tonight, that is." 

"Indeed," Vegeta said, dryly. He could smell anxiety, anticipation, and, dominating all other scents from Raditz, pure lust. "Make sure she behaves herself in the future." Vegeta scowled. "Naranja was an embarassment today!" 

"Oh, I will." A cruel Saiyan smirk flashed across Raditz's face, then settled into a merely self-satisfied smile. He saluted Vegeta, bowed, then walked away, leaving Vegeta staring after him. What the hell had gotten into Raditz? And where was Bulma? 

Vegeta saw, but did not understand. Freiza's corpse lay too many years in the past, and Vegeta's thoughts were turned ever inward. Vegeta had not forgotten the dark passions that wounded pride and self-hate can birth in a man's heart, but it had been too long since he'd looked at them in another. He who had been Majin Vegeta would have seen and understood, but Majin Vegeta lay years in the future. 

* * *

PIP! 

The power-level warning on her scouter blinked on as Naranja strode past the dimly lit gravity-chamber building. What in the--? 

The one immense power could only be Prince Vegeta, but who was the other? Curious, Naranja peered through one of the porthole-like windows. 

Vegeta was sparring with... the purple-haired boy? The one she'd dismissed as one of the vermin... Naranja squinted as she studied the boy from the darkness outside. His tremendous power--a good fraction of Naranja's own--hinted at Saiyan blood, but his face betrayed his true heritage. There was no mistaking that sharp nose, those cheeks, those fierce eyes (though they were an absurdly pale blue); the boy was Vegeta's son! 

Lady Naranja slunk back into the darkness. Another factor... but she was strong enough to deal with the boy herself if needs be. If all went well, Vegeta himself would eliminate every threat except Bardock, and Bardock would deal with Vegeta. 

_Who will deal with Bardock?_

Silence! I will deal with him; remove the corrupting influences, and he will become what he should be. Removing the corruption is your task. 

_Acknowledged_. 

* * *

Bulma knew nothing of Vegeta or Raditz's plans; all that concerned her at the moment was the results of the latest round of her father's experiments. She tapped the computer, waiting impatiently as the device churned through the mass of data, collating, sorting and reducing it to a simple set of statistics--statistics that meant success or failure. 

"You are busy?" A soft, rich, feminine voice asked; Lady Naranja stood just inside the door of the lab. 

How did she get here without the alarms going off? Bulma wondered, and then decided it was wiser to answer the question as the Saiyan scowled impatiently. "Yes, I am quite busy," Bulma answered. "I'll probably be busy most of the night reducing this data." 

Naranja raised one eyebrow. "Really? The prince tolerates such whims?" 

Bulma stood up, quietly furious. "Vegeta _tolerates_ anything I damn well please to do! I'm not his slave, I'm his _wife_ , and don't you ever forget that!" 

Faster than Bulma could see or imagine, Naranja was behind her, one powerful arm pinning Bulma's arms and the other clamping a hand over her mouth. 

"Oh, no," Naranja whispered to Bulma as she kicked and struggled futilely, "I won't forget that--not at all. And I won't let Vegeta forget it, either." 

* * *

After sunset, in the shadows of Naranja's bedchamber, nothing went as Raditz had planned or darkly dreamed.... 

The smell of her intoxicated him more than ever, and Raditz nearly destroyed his own armor ripping it off. He did destroy her armor, pinning her to the floor before tearing it away from her body one piece at a time. Raditz grinned ferally as she struggled futilely, eyes widening as she finally realized how much stronger he was than her. Naranja cursed him as he ran his hands over her naked body, cupping her feminine curves, tracing the lines of her harder-than-steel Saiyan muscles, his tail lashing the air behind him like that of a great cat all the while. Then she reached around his body and clamped one hand firmly around Raditz's tail-- 

It _had_ been thirty years. Though he'd vaguely remembered how things had been on Vegetasei, Raditz had quite forgotten _why_ the ancient customs between Saiyan men and women were what they were, and why the spirit of them had been so seldom violated. No Saiyan man did to a Saiyan women except as she desired, nor did a woman to a man, for one good reason--naked bodies offer no protection for tender tails, and passion drops all shields and barriers. 

\--when the unendurable waves of pain stopped, Raditz found himself curled up in a ball on the floor with Naranja straddling him, lightly caressing his bruised tail. Her tail danced in the air, twitching just out of reach as Raditz grabbed for it. 

"Hmmmm..." she said, regarding Raditz's nude form. "Perhaps you are capable, after all." Naranja continued to stroke Raditz's tail lightly, sending electric jolts down the sensitive limb straight into his groin. The strangely familiar smell of her lust maddened him, and her touch was more than he could stand. Raditz shuddered, helpless to quell his own excitement. 

Naranja arched the fingers of her free hand like claws and slashed Raditz's chest, drawing forth three thin lines of blood. "Oh yes, you are _perfect_ ," she smirked, leaning forward to lick at the droplets of blood.... 

...a great sleepiness descended on Raditz, and he remembered nothing more. 

* * *

_It wasn't one of his usual nightmares: in this dream, Raditz found himself in his own bedroom at Capsule Corp. Not Frieza's ship, not the Guard barracks, not the barracks in Hell where no one actually slept, but his own small, plain room in the Capsule Corp building. The only difference was the extra bed on the opposite wall._

"What the hell?" Raditz sat up and scratched his head. The other bed was made with painful neatness, a neatness Raditz himself had only practiced when forced to as a Guard cadet. "When did I get a roommate?" 

His door swung smoothly open to admit a lightly-built Saiyan of medium height. Short spiky hair even more unruly than Kakarott's sprang every which way; its owner brushed a handful out of his eyes as he pulled off an issue scouter and tossed it on the well-made bed. His tail uncoiled and the youthful Saiyan stretched and yawned. He grinned at Raditz. 

"Long time no see, peasant." 

Raditz grunted, almost smiling in spite of himself. Young Lord Miso had been one of his few--no, his only _real_ friend in Guard training. Lord Miso had been on Vegetasei the day Frieza had visited it for the last time. "About thirty years, Most Honorable Lord Miso. You're dead, too." 

Lord Miso shrugged and sat down on the opposite bed. "It happens. Do you remember what I warned you about that time we pulled training duty at the Slave Gate?" 

Raditz stiffened and looked away. "Yes." 

"You didn't listen to me, then." Lord Miso picked up Raditz's scouter from the nightstand and fiddled with it. "You're doing it again, aren't you? Messing around with a woman whose lover is a lot more powerful than you...." 

Raditz gritted his teeth. "I am NOT messing around with Bulma! I am not a complete idiot, and besides..." Raditz hesitated, "it would be wrong." 

"Well, you know that, and I know that, but does Vegeta know that?" Lord Miso asked. 

"Huh? Why would he think I'm doing something that I'm not?" Raditz wondered. 

"Carefully manufactured evidence," Lord Miso said, brushing his unruly hair out of his face again. "It wouldn't be the first time she's done it. Just ask your mother; you'll probably get the chance soon." 

Raditz felt a chill, and shook his own hair back angrily. "I am not listening to you! You're dead; you're just a figment from my nightmares." 

Lord Miso looked at Raditz speculatively. "Is that so?" 

"Yes," Raditz growled. 

Lord Miso shrugged. "As you like--" 

* * *

Raditz awoke abruptly. The early morning sun shone in through the windows on the disheveled bedroom. Blankets lay on the floor, and a single, tangled sheet twined around the legs of the warm, naked, feminine form lying pressed up against Raditz's chest. His mane of hair covered most of her body, doubtless keeping her warm. He inhaled, taking in the strong musk of last night's lust, and the still-lingering perfume of her passion. Blue hair tickled his nose, and-- 

Blue hair?? A terrible forboding gripped Raditz as he turned his head to look at his bedmate; he brushed away his own hair to reveal the nude, sleeping form of Bulma Briefs. 

* * *

Naranja staggered toward the door of Vegeta's house; pain wracked her as metabolic cycles shifted and changed, reversing in mere hours what had taken days to build up. The shift in her scent, her pheromones had been gradual, to entice Raditz without raising his suspicions. but now she dared not smell one whiff of one molecule like Bulma. She wore the armor Raditz had shattered and torn the night before, and her face was gaunt with pain and fatigue as she tapped gently--for her--on the door. 

Vegeta answered--as she'd known he would, he wouldn't send mere vermin to treat with _her_. Naranja leaned more heavily on the doorframe than she'd intended as a fresh spasm of pain tore through her. 

"My prince! Raditz has betrayed you!" 

* * *

Raditz gently shook Bulma, but for the fourth time she failed to wake. An awful understanding dawned: the familiar, enticing scent that had so maddened him with lust last night had been Bulma's--Raditz didn't know how, but somehow, Naranja's smell had been replaced by that of Bulma's--and the whole room stank of 'Bulma' and Raditz's lust. 

_"Carefully manufactured evidence...."_

Raditz's blood turning to ice. When Vegeta found them--and there was absolutely no doubt that it was intended to be _when_ , not if, and that _when_ would be very soon--they would die the most horrific, agonizing death the prince could devise. 

Raditz jerked his head up; Vegeta's ki had just flared to wakefulness, over _there_ in his house--and Naranja was nearby. 

"You clever bitch!" Raditz cursed, then jumped up, grabbed his scouter and the sheet, jammed the former on his face and flung the latter over Bulma's comatose body, blew a hole outside the back of the manor with his rapidly flaring ki and flew. He put all of his not-inconsiderable power into speed, barely sparing the energy to protect his naked body--and Bulma's--from the wind lashing it. His only chance, and Bulma's, was to get far, far away and hide his ki before Vegeta figured out that he was gone. 

After that... Raditz's face and thoughts were grim. His only chance-- _their_ only chance--was to convince Vegeta of the truth. Before Vegeta killed them. 

It would be easier, Raditz thought, if he knew what the truth was. 


	12. Chapter 12

Nezumi checked in for her shift early; she felt extraordinarily good since leaving the hospital. Lina was, as expected, flabbergasted. 

"I can't believe they let you out of the hospital! I can't believe you're back to work so soon! Are they crazy? Are you crazy?" Lina punctuated each question with a wave of her hands. 

"Well, they couldn't very well keep me; I'm perfectly fine, there's nothing wrong with me!" Nezumi said, smiling pertly. Her eyes danced, revealing her delight. "It's a hospital, not a prison," she pointed out to Lina. 

"B-but people just don't get better that fast from broken bones and-- 'Zumi, you were torn up something awful! We were afraid you would die--I thought you were dead when I first saw you, Raditz was just covered with your blood and--" 

"Speaking of Raditz," Nezumi said, looking around, "where is the big lug? He's usually in by now." 

"Oh, well, um," Lina stared at the tile floor. "He's probably with Naranja," she said in a very small voice. 

"With Naranja? What's that supposed to mean?" Nezumi whirled to face Lina, both hands on her hips. "Out with it, Lina! You know I'll find out what's going on anyway." 

The dark-haired woman twisted her fingers together. "The way I hear it, Vegeta ordered Raditz to marry this Lady Naranja, and he gave in. I saw him--on the security cameras--he went to that mansion of hers last night." Lina dropped her hands to her side and looked gloomily at Nezumi. "He's been there all night." 

Nezumi felt her knees buckle and she grabbed a nearby file cabinet to keep from falling down. Raditz was... Naranja was.. with her?? A low roar filled her ears, and the floor swayed beneath her feet. 

Lina's startled expression and sudden grab for another nearby cabinet alerted Nezumi that the sound and shaking were coming from outside; she wasn't fainting or having a stroke after all. 

The roar and shaking climbed to a thunder like a rocket blasting off just outside the window, and blazing white light filled the room. The plaster cracked and dust sifted down from the ceiling-- 

Lina peeked out the window. "It's Vegeta! He's golden--but I've never seen him like this--he's like a nuclear bomb frozen in mid-blast!" she shouted over the thunder. 

"What the--?" Nezumi staggered over to the window; waves of energy and sound buffeted the building as they spread from their center in the broken wreckage of Naranja's mansion. Vegeta stood there, arms clenched, screaming with fury, terrible to behold at the height of his power. 

Naranja huddled on the ground, face down with her arms over her head, her fingers dug into the earth, holding her against the backwash of Vegeta's fury. It was all she could do to keep from being blown away like a leaf in that howling wind of power and rage. 

* * *

Far behind him, Raditz felt the very life force of the world shudder as Vegeta's awful, incalculable power flared to its full, ascended Super-Saiyan strength. He was in that bedroom, Raditz had no doubt, and even if Vegeta had not seen the carefully staged scene that Lady Naranja had intended him to see, he had still seen and smelled enough. 

Raditz dropped like a stone; he knew from experience that Vegeta could sense nothing during the vast power uptake, and his perceptions would remain insensitive to Raditz's weaker ki for a few seconds as the Saiyan prince adjusted to his new power level. The long-haired Saiyan shifted his comatose employer to his shoulder and landed with a quiet 'thip' on the forest floor. 

A quick check of his scouter confirmed his estimate; he was nowhere near the Son house, and far from anywhere else populated. Where to go now? He didn't dare go near Goku's house--that was the first place Vegeta would look--and most other places he could think of were too public. There was one place Vegeta would never look, because Raditz would never go there--no. _That_ was a last resort. 

"Uhnnnn." A shallow groan alerted Raditz that Bulma was regaining consciousness. Quickly he laid her on the ground, still loosely wrapped in the sheet. 

Fingers twitched and lifted to Bulma's head; she groaned more loudly. "Oh, my head is killing me! What did that bitch do?" Blue eyes fluttered open. 

Bulma stared at the pine trees over her head. "What in the world?" She turned her head--and saw Raditz standing beside her, looking worried... and completely naked. 

"RADITZ!" Bulma shrieked and leaped to her feet--then realized that she, too, was naked. "AAAAAHHHH!" Bulma snatched up the sheet and held it over the front of her body. "YOU PERVERT!" She backed up against a tree trunk and screamed again. 

Raditz clapped his hands over his ears. "Bulma, I can explain--" and realized she couldn't, or wouldn't hear him. He leaped to her side in a single, tigerish bound and grabbed Bulma around the waist, clamping one hand over her mouth. Head down, slung over Raditz's hip, she beat futilely on Raditz's leg with her fists. 

"BULMA, SHUT UP!" he roared. That proved to be a mistake. Bulma's eyes widened and one small hand reached down, grabbed a handful of tail, and squeezed-- 

"AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" Raditz howled and abruptly dumped Bulma on the ground, then fell to the ground beside her, tears of pain leaking from his eyes. 

"Oww!" Bulma yelped and glared at Raditz; she'd landed hard on her butt. She rubbed the bruised muscles and glared at the prostrate Saiyan. "Don't move, and DON'T YOU DARE LOOK AT ME!" Bulma yelled. 

Raditz kept his face down, turned away from Bulma. "Just don't do that again. Please!" He could hear the sound of the sheet tearing. 

A few minutes later, a strip of sheet fell in front of Raditz's face. "Stand up, facing _away_ from me, and cover yourself, Raditz!" came Bulma's voice. 

Raditz picked up the chunk of sheet, carefully keeping his face averted-- 

"I meant to turn your whole body away from me, Raditz!" Bulma shrieked. 

The long-maned Saiyan smirked and couldn't resist a quip as he turned away. "I know it's hard to resist such a temptation, Bulma--" 

CRACK! The tree limb breaking over his head didn't hurt Raditz, but it got the point across. He hurriedly wrapped the remnant of sheet around his waist in an impromptu kilt and tied it securely. "It's not what it looks like--" 

"You mean we're _not_ out in the woods naked? Gee, you really fooled me then!" Bulma snapped. "I hope you have a really good explanation for this!" 

Raditz opened his mouth to reply, and realized that he did _not_ , in fact, have a 'good' explanation. He began to sweat. "Uh, yeah, we're both naked, and, yeah, this is the woods, but you're safer out here until Vegeta realizes you're innocent--" 

"INNOCENT?? Innocent of what, you pervert?!?" Bulma glared at Raditz. "And what's Vegeta got to do with it?" 

Sweat beaded on his brow. "You know his temper, and if he'd found you naked in bed with me--I grabbed you and ran for it before he could--" 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'NAKED IN BED WITH YOU'??" Bulma's shriek startled a nearby clutch of pheasants, who burst out of the bushes and zoomed through the forest under the treetops. 

Raditz clamped his hands over his sensitive ears. "Bulma, don't--" 

"Why am I naked, Raditz?" Bulma's voice was low, angry, deadly. 

"I think Naranja did it. I was in bed with her, but--" 

"WHAT?? YOU'RE SLEEPING WITH THAT MURDEROUS BITCH?" Bulma's voice rose to a shriek again. 

Raditz covered his ears again. "It's not what you think!" he said desperately. "Vegeta ordered me to--" 

"A likely story," Bulma snorted, crossing her arms and nearly dislodging the precariously wrapped sheet around her breasts. Raditz's scouter beeped quietly. "You traitor! After I told you to get rid of the--" 

"No more time to explain, he's coming this way!" Raditz said as he suddenly scooped Bulma up and tossed her over his shoulder. Without hesitation he ran up and over the mountain, moving with tremendous speed. His bare feet made the lightest of thuds in the drifts of dead pine needles. 

Bulma was not nearly so quiet. "YOU PERVERT! TRAITOR! YOU'RE FIRED, YOU HEAR THAT! FIRED!" 

* * *

Bulma had calmed down by the time Raditz crossed over the mountain range and started zig-zagging down a steep valley on the other side. Somewhere down here was the cabin with the anomalous power source that he'd spotted months ago. _If_ it was who Raditz thought it was, Bulma would be safe from Vegeta and Naranja both.... 

"Raditz." Bulma's voice was hard; no trace of hysteria remained. "Raditz," she repeated when he did not answer. "Put me down before I throw up." 

Raditz stopped abruptly and rolled Bulma off his shoulder, catching her in his strong arms and lowering her gently to the ground. Bulma sat down, panting hard. 

"You know, it's not exactly comfortable being carried like a sack of grain for hours on end!" Bulma rubbed her legs; dark circles shadowed her eyes. 

"I'm sorry." Raditz shrugged. "I had no choice." 

Bulma stared at the tall, long-haired Saiyan, her mouth pursed in a skeptical frown. "Why don't you try explaining that again--starting with how I ended up naked in your bed?" 

Raditz sighed. "I don't know--I really don't!" He raised his hands in a warding gesture and backed up a step at Bulma's thunderous glare. "I woke up and there you were!" 

Bulma frowned and crossed her arms, again almost dislodging the sari-like wrap she'd made of the sheet. "Hmmm... Naranja _did_ grab me and knock me out--but why on earth did she put me in your bed? Do Saiyans like embarassing pranks?" 

Sweat beaded on Raditz's brow. Why couldn't Bulma see the obvious? "It was no prank! That was not my bed, it was Naranja's, and she-- and I-- well, we--" 

Bulma looked at Raditz like he'd grown two heads. "That makes even less sense--why the hell would she dump me in bed with the two of you?" Her eyes narrowed angrily and her voice rose. "Just how perverted is this woman??" 

Raditz hid his face in his hands and shook his head. "That's not it," he said, his voice muffled. His shoulders shook oddly, and two dark, gleaming eye peeked out from between his fingers. "Might have been fun, though." He smirked. 

"OOOOOHHH!" Bulma hit him with another convenient branch. "YOU PERVERT! YOU'RE STILL FIRED!" After hitting him again, she dropped the branch and put her hands on her hips. "Well, out with it! What's the real reason?" 

Raditz folded his arms and avoided Bulma's eyes. "She smelled like you, somehow, and Vegeta was supposed to think--does think--that you and I--" 

He stopped, expecting another outburst from Bulma, but she simply glared at him. Her face was hard and her voice dangerous as she asked, "Why would Vegeta think that, Raditz?" 

"Because he knows I want you," Raditz answered. There, it was finally out. 

Bulma's hands were on her hips. "Why did you run, Raditz? WHY DID YOU KIDNAP ME AND RUN AWAY?" 

"Because he would have killed you and me both!" Raditz shouted. "Do you know what Saiyans do to an adulterous mate? Only traitors die worse!" His hair bristled, and his powerful fists were clenched. 

"YOU IDIOT!" Bulma shrieked. "Vegeta knows I wouldn't betray him! He would have figured it out, you moron! You're as stupid as Naranja is, if you think Vegeta would be taken in by something so crude!" 

"You don't understand," Raditz said, surprised to find himself _pleading_ with Bulma for understanding. " _She smelled like you!_ The bed, everything, smelled as if you and I had-- You've been around Goku since he was little, you know about Saiyan sense of smell--we trust it above even our eyes!" 

Bulma folded her arms and scowled. "I'm the mother of his son, Raditz. I went through hell to get him back when that demon killed him--don't you think I know my own husband by now?? Vegeta isn't stupid. He loves to fight like all you Saiyans do, and his pride will be the death of him yet, but he's not _stupid_! He would not have believed it--not of _me_! I wouldn't believe it of him, either." Her chin was high and her eyes blazed with determination and anger. 

Raditz's heart ached; determination made Bulma all the more beautiful and desireable--but she belonged to another, and always would. If only-- 

Bulma interrupted Raditz's brooding. "But you! Thanks a lot for kidnapping me--you've probably just convinced Vegeta that you ravished me or something, and ran away before he could catch you! Now that Vegeta thinks you kidnapped and raped and probably murdered me, he'll hunt you down if it takes until the end of the time--and he won't stop to listen to explanations! God, Raditz, you are such an idiot!" 

"Bulma, I thought--" Raditz started to say. 

"No, you didn't think! Your guilty conscience bit you on the tail and you ran. Raditz, if Vegeta thinks I'm dead, he might just decide to destroy the Earth to be sure of getting you!" Bulma's voice was taut with anger and fear. 

Raditz flushed; Bulma was right about his guilty conscience. He had panicked, because he, Raditz, knew how much he had _wanted_ to do what it looked like they'd done in that bed--how could Vegeta not believe that he had? The scent of it had been overwhelming.... 

The sense of Bulma's words finally penetrated. "No, Goku would stop him--and I don't think he'd hurt Trunks. Not if he thinks I forced you." 

Bulma paled. "You mean, if he thought that I'd willingly--" 

Raditz stared down at Bulma. "Yes. It is traditional to kill the children of a tainted mate. It is rare enough that when one spouse secretly betrays another, the bloodline is believed to be corrupt." 

He bristled slightly at Bulma's horrified expression. "It is not so barbaric as you might think--there were ways for couples to separate legitimately, and a man could challenge another man over a woman they both wanted, if she was willing to accept his suit--even if already mated. Only cowards committed adultery in secret--and no one wants children of a coward's blood." 

"Raditz, I really don't want to know anything more about Saiyan customs," Bulma said, a look of disgust plain on her face. "Besides," she said, suddenly worried, "I don't think Trunks is all that safe with Naranja around. She utterly despises me because I'm of a 'lesser race'--what would she think of Trunks?" 

"I won't lie to make you feel better--she probably thinks he's an abomination that should be destroyed, the way a farmer would dispose of a two-headed piglet. However, she won't dare do anything that Vegeta could trace back to her. She may or may not be a coward, but she's not suicidal." 

Bulma paled. "Raditz! I've got to get back! I can explain it all to Vegeta--" 

Raditz folded his arms and shook his head. "Are you so sure Vegeta is safe? And if he's out looking for me, and you meet Lady Naranja first?" 

Bulma grew even paler. "But... Okay, let me think this out. Ah! It's obvious--you get me someplace with a phone, and I'll call home. I can explain it to Vegeta over the phone without telling anyone where I am." 

Raditz scowled, his tail uncoiling and switching from side to side as he thought. "And what will you tell Vegeta about me?" 

Bulma stared blankly at Raditz. "That you didn't do anything but try and protect me, of course!" 

Raditz shook his head. "He won't believe you. He'll believe what his nose tells him--and when you tell him different, he'll stop trusting you! If you try to defend me, Vegeta will think you betrayed him! Your only protection, Trunks' only protection right now is if Vegeta believes that I took you by force." 

"I'm not going to lie about that!" Bulma snapped. 

Raditz stared down at her from his full height. "Then you have to stay somewhere safe until I can convince Vegeta of the truth." 

"Fine!" Bulma snarled. "Take me to the Son house!" 

"No." Without a wasted move, Raditz scooped Bulma up and carried her downhill. "That's the first place Vegeta will look." 

* * *

With the aid of his scouter, Raditz didn't take long to find the cabin with the anomalous power source. Perhaps his intense concentration on the scouter read-outs as well as the current where-abouts of both Vegeta and Lady Naranja explained why Raditz didn't notice until a second too late that Android Seventeen had guests. 

Raditz's hair swirled forward as he skidded to a halt just past one corner of the small cottage. He'd come down the mountain behind the cabin and ran around front, still carrying Bulma-- 

Kulilin, Eighteen, and a tiny blonde toddler that _had_ to be Marron clustered around a hibachi grill; Eighteen stared blankly at him, Kulilin's mouth hung open, and little Marron blinked. Seventeen straighted abruptly from where he'd bent over the ice chest, still holding three beer bottles by the necks. His eyes widened, then narrowed quickly. 

Seventeen was the first to find his tongue. "Well, well, well. I certainly am the popular fellow today!" He twisted the cap off of one beer with his teeth, tossed his shoulder-length black hair back, and added, "Three years of blessed solitude, and now five guests at once! I even invited _three_ of them," he finished pointedly. 

Kulilin finally found his voice, while Eighteen simply raised one imperious blonde eyebrow. "Uh, hello Bulma! What brings you and... Raditz... out here... in a sheet?" He began to snicker. 

Bulma glared at the diminutive former monk. "Shut up, Kulilin, just shut up!" 

Raditz scowled and turned to Seventeen. "This wasn't exactly my idea-- but, um, could we borrow some clothes?" The big Saiyan's face blushed red with embarassment. 

Seventeen's eyebrows nearly climbed into his hair. "Well," he drawled, "I think I have something that will fit Bulma, but you're going to find it a tight fit." He strolled over the Kulilin and handed him the other two beers before entering his small cabin, Bulma following. "Oh, yeah, beer's in the cooler. Talk to Kulilin about barbecue." 

"I hope you're happy with just a snack," Kulilin told Raditz, "because we didn't bring enough for a hungry Saiyan." 

Raditz frowned; his stomach rumbled at the scent of broiling meat. He hadn't eaten since yesterday. "I'll find something," he growled. 

A few minutes later... 

"Raditz!" Bulma called. "Your turn!" Seventeen's old, faded blue jeans fit her surprisingly well, as did a red plaid flannel shirt. An old pair of sneakers and socks completed the backwoods camping ensemble. "Thank you," Bulma said to Seventeen as she tied her hair back with one of his many red bandanas. 

The android shrugged. "Sure. No big deal; it'd look bad if I let guests freeze to death on my doorstep, you know." 

After a lot more rummaging around in the cabin, Raditz emerged wearing a rather tight pair of fatigue pants, an unbuttoned vest, and another one of Seventeen's ubiquitous red bandanas around his neck. 

"Sorry," Seventeen said to Bulma, "but there's no way any of my shirts will fit him. As it was, those pants were leftovers from the last guy to live here--they're way too big for me." 

"Why is it," Bulma muttered, "that I wind up losing my clothes in any adventure with Raditz?" 

"Uh, yeah, Bulma, why is that?" Kulilin asked, smirking. "What _did_ happen to your clothes--oww!" 

"Sorry," Eighteen said as she pulled back her foot. Her husband hopped up and down on one foot, while massaging the bruised toes of the other. 

"Mommy," Marron asked while peeking out from behind her mother, "why was the lion-man wearing a skirt?" 

"Because he would look very silly running around naked, dear." Eighteen answered her daughter. 

Raditz turned red again. "It's not what it looks like!" he growled. 

Bulma groaned and slapped her hand to her forehead. "Thanks, idiot! Now I'm never going to hear the end of this," she muttered. 

Kulilin blinked; he couldn't resist smirking again. "You mean it's _not_ an innocent little adventure that you have a perfectly reasonable explanation for?" 

"Uh...." said Raditz. 

"I'm going to kill both of them," Bulma continued to mutter. 

Another thought occurred to Kulilin. "Does this have something to do with whatever Vegeta got excited about yesterday and this morning?" The little man frowned; the implications were starting to sink in. 

Raditz started. "What do you know about Vegeta? Have you seen him?" he snarled, hair bristling. 

Kulilin took a step back. "No! But I'd have to be dead to miss his Super-Saiyan ki powering up like that!" He gave Raditz a hard look, and turned to Bulma. "Bulma, just what is going on?" 

"I don't know," she said. "Something bad. It involves the other Saiyan--" 

"Other Saiyan?? What other Saiyan?" Kulilin stepped forward, a determined, worried look on his face. 

"Her name is Naranja," Raditz said, and in short, terse sentences gave Kulilin the bare facts of recent events. 

"Crud! Another Saiyan!" Kulilin looked worriedly at his wife and daughter. "No offense, Raditz, but you guys bring trouble every time you show up. 'cept Goku, of course." 

"It's not her you have to worry about, not directly. She's not even as strong as Nappa was," Raditz replied, not knowing how horribly wrong he was. "It's Vegeta--" 

"I don't get that part," Kulilin said. "How can she turn Vegeta against Bulma and you? As I understand it, Vegeta was the prince, so why does he care what this Naranja says? I mean, I don't like him much, but he's not stupid, and he never cared much about other people's opinions that I noticed." 

"It's not a matter of _opinion_ ," Raditz answered. "It's a case of carefully manufactured evidence and a nasty frame-up." The big Saiyan looked at the sky. "We can't stay here--" 

"A pity. I was starting to enjoy the company," Seventeen said, though whether sarcastically or sincerely meant no one else could tell. 

"No. I meant to hide Bulma here--if Seventeen permitted--but not now. You're all too vulnerable; you could tell either of them where she is." Raditz growled, still watching the sky. 

"Hey! I wouldn't say anything to put Bulma in danger!" Kulilin protested. 

"Wouldn't you? Not even if your daughter's life was at stake?" Raditz turned to face Kulilin, eyes narrowed, face hard and very, very Saiyan. "She's your weakness, your vulnerability--and I can't trust Bulma's life to that. And," his voice softened ever so slightly, "I won't let you have to make that decision, just like I won't let Goku have to make that decision. No, Bulma and I go elsewhere." 

"Uh, yeah. I guess you can't tell me where you're going for the same reason." Kulilin looked downcast. "I wish I could do something to help." 

"If you see him, tell Vegeta I'm okay," Bulma said. "And I'll be fine when this mess gets straightened out." 

"No! Oh, if you must--but I brought Bulma here against her will, she had nothing to do with this--that part of what you will hear later is true. Don't believe anything they say about Bulma--" Raditz growled. 

"Kulilin, don't believe _anything_ you hear from Naranja, or Vegeta, while she's still around!" Bulma added. She shouted over her shoulder as Raditz abruptly picked her up and took off, flying low over the mountain. "If they say anything bad about Raditz, IT'S A LIE!" 


	13. Chapter 13

For Vegeta, there was only rage. After losing everything--people, father, world, honor, pride, even life itself--the Saiyan prince had come to rest on this soft blue planet, and found the impossible: a home. A wife, a son... home. He'd permitted himself to dream that he'd found a new world to call his own, and soon, pride and honor restored. 

Fool! Foolish dreams, illusions all! Shattered by Raditz's betrayal, shattered by the loss of the one he'd dared to... care about. Vegeta raged against himself--hadn't he learned, all those years under Frieza? Never trust, never care, never accept it--it makes you weak, Saiyan! They can hurt you if you care. 

"RADITZ!" Vegeta screamed, golden hair streaming back as he plunged through the sky--towards Kakarott's house. Where else would the traitor go, but to his simple-minded brother? Kakarott was ever innocent and trusting and would believe--as Vegeta had been fool enough to believe--that Raditz was loyal and innocent! And Kakarott would protect his treacherous brother.... 

* * *

"No, Vegeta, I don't know where Raditz is."' Goku stood his ground beside the small mountain stream and shook his black-haired head slowly. He frowned at the short, angry Saiyan whose hair burned golden with rage. "What's wrong?" 

Vegeta hovered in the air above the bigger Saiyan. "Kakarott!" he snarled, clenching his fists. "If I didn't know you were too simple-minded to lie--!" 

"Why would I lie to you?" Goku looked at Vegeta, puzzled. 

"To protect that worthless, traitorous brother of yours!" Vegeta snarled, touching down at the very edge of the stream. Water swirled about his heels. 

Goku's eyes widened. "Raditz?? What are you so mad at him for? Did he do something to Naranja?" 

Vegeta glared at Goku; a vein at his temple stood out, pulsing with anger. "Oh, no, Kakarott," the Saiyan prince snarled softly, "he didn't to anything--to Naranja!" Vegeta rose into the air again, turning slowly away from Kakarott. "If you see him, ask him what he did with _Bulma!_ " A multi-colored blur of light, and Vegeta was gone, hurtling faster than any eye save Goku's could see toward the horizon. 

"What happened to Bulma??" Goku yelled, but Vegeta was already gone. 

* * *

"Grandma, what's going on? Where's mom? What was father so angry about?" Trunks asked his maternal grandmother for about the hundredth time. 

"I don't know, dear," Mrs. Briefs told her anxious grandson. "We'll just have to wait until he gets back," she answered patiently for about the hundredth time. "Would you like something to eat?" 

"No, I'm... not hungry," Trunks said, as he flopped down at the kitchen table. He rested his chin on his hands and looked thoroughly disconsolate. 

"Oh!" Mrs. Briefs blinked. "That's unusual. Are you feeling well, Trunks?" The blonde beauty felt her grandson's forehead. 

"Doubtless the whelp worries about his fate," growled the cold voice of Lady Naranja as she stalked in the kitchen door. "His half-breed blood is tainted enough, but should his mother prove as faithless as Raditsu..." The Saiyan woman smirked unpleasantly. 

Mrs. Briefs blinked. "Oh, dear. Would you like something to drink?" 

"And to eat. Quickly," the imperious Saiyan said, still smiling unpleasantly at Trunks. 

"I'm just in the way," Trunks muttered, "and since I'm not hungry, I'll go back to my room," he said, slipping away from the table. 

"I think not, _young prince_ ," Naranja said mockingly. "Prince Vegeta would hold me responsible if none protected the youngling from the traitor Raditsu. You stay here!" 

"Raditz is not a traitor!" Trunks yelled, his small fists clenched. 

"Ah, the young prince has some spirit! I'd begun to think you as feeble-hearted as the vermin you resemble," Naranja said, waving one hand casually in the direction of Mrs. Briefs. "Nevertheless," her eyes narrowed, "Raditsu has fled with the speed of guilt, and taken your mother with him. At the very least he has kidnapped and defiled her; at the worst she betrayed the prince willingly!" 

Mrs. Briefs eyes opened wide and she straightened abruptly. "My daughter has always been a good girl; she would not do any such thing! If you wish to eat here, mind your manners," she finished indignantly. 

Naranja scowled; her hand twitched several times, as if she longed to raise it but stopped herself before acting. "I will remember your insolence," the Saiyan promised. 

"Trunks," Mrs. Briefs turned to her grandson, "go to your room and work on your lessons _with Goten_. You have a lot of homework to finish for school," she said. 

Trunks' eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded. "Yes, grandma, I do! I'll get right to work now," he said, darting down the hall toward the stairs. 

* * *

While Naranja ate as a hungry Saiyan eats, Trunks went to his room and quickly threw his clothes and pajamas into a backpack. When he was packed, he quietly opened the window and slipped out. 

He didn't fly; he remembered hearing that the power used for flying made it easier for ki sense and scouters to find him--and the last thing Trunks wanted was to be found alone by Naranja. Instead he ran, zig-zagging across the grounds, avoiding people and trying to stay out of sight. 

On his way across the compound, Trunks couldn't help noticing that Grandpa had opened up the spaceship hangar. The lavender-haired boy stood still for a moment, his intense curiousity warring with the urge to run, to get away before something bad happened. 

Curiousity won. It would be rude to leave without saying goodbye to Grandpa anyway, he told himself. He slipped into the hangar and ran up the open ramp of the space sphere. 

"What are you doing now, Grandpa?" Trunks asked, looking over Dr. Briefs' shoulder at the pile of equipment taking up part of the main hold. (In Goku's original ship, it had been the exercise chamber). 

"Ah, hello there. Well, I finally got the old ship fixed up from the last time Vegeta landed it," Dr. Briefs answered as he probed a circuit. 

"Cool! Can I fly on it when you test it?" 

Dr. Briefs started to say "Sure", but thought better of it. "You'd have to ask your mother first." 

Trunks started as mention of his mother brought this morning's events back to mind--Mom missing, his father's fear and then wild rage, and terrible curses--blaming Raditz for it all, somehow. Trunks wasn't sure what Raditz was supposed to have done, exactly. It was clear that everyone thought the big Saiyan had kidnapped Mom, but no one would tell him what else was going on. Something bad; Lady Naranja had been at his father's side until he flew away to look for Raditz, and then she'd walked around with such a pleased, cold smile ever since; Trunks shivered. She gave him the creeps! 

"Grandpa, Grandma is letting me stay at Goten's house for a while, so I'll see you later!" Trunks gave his grandfather a quick hug and waved at him as he ran out the small back door to the hangar. 

* * *

Naranja waved away Mrs. Briefs as she brought yet another bowl of rice. "Enough," she growled, and rose shakily to her feet. "I will be back later. Tell the Prince that when he returns." 

The Saiyan woman strolled slowly back to the remnants of her mansion, rubbing her eyes as she fought off sleep long enough to find an unruined room with a bed. A small grey kitten blinked its eyes open and looked at her from the bed it had claimed. It stretched and yawned, tiny pink tongue curling back. 

"More useless vermin." Naranja grabbed up the kitten and broke it with a twist of her hands. She tossed the limp, warm body into the corner; then, curling up with her tail tucked under her chin, she slept. 

It was a long, deep sleep, as her body replenished itself with the immense meal, restoring the devastation wrought by the recent metabolic changes. She slept for more than a day, so deeply that not even thunder of battle could have disturbed her. 

* * *

"Where are you going now?" Bulma asked Raditz as he flew along. "Aren't you afraid that Vegeta will sense you?" 

"Yes, I am," Raditz said as he dropped down behind the mountain, landing lightly on his feet. "But, I wanted him to sense me _leaving_ this area. If he realizes Kulilin saw us, and thinks we might be with him... It might be very bad for the short guy and his family. That, and I want him to think me gone from here, and not looking for me on foot." 

"So where are we going now?" Bulma pressed. 

"I'm... still thinking about it," Raditz answered shortly. 

"You mean you don't know." 

The big Saiyan set Bulma down again and paced back and forth under the pine trees. "How did she do it? I've got to know that before I can prove to Vegeta that you are innocent!" 

"Well, how would I know? Why don't you ask _her_?" Bulma retorted; the entire day's events had made her rather cross. 

Raditz eyed her speculatively. "That might work--but I doubt it. She's a noble, and she survived on an enemy world for thirty years. I don't know enough about torture to keep her in enough pain long enough to break her without killing her accidently." 

Bulma turned pale. "That's not what I meant, Raditz!" 

"Trick her into boasting of it?" Raditz frowned and looked thoughtful. "If I could figure out what's driving her, it might work. She has some kind of obsession with my father Bardock, and hates me. Something to do with mother, if the ghosts of my dreams are to be believed..." He frowned more deeply. 

"Oh-ho! _That_ sounds pretty obvious to me," Bulma said, hands braced on her hips. 

Raditz lowered his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously. "Mother was nothing to her--lower power and lower ranked; they would have had no close contact." 

Bulma rested a finger against her chin. "And your father? He did?" 

Raditz frowned again; something tickled the back of his memory. "I think... father may have been in a squad that worked the same planet a few times--or maybe reported to her. He never talked much about what he did before married Kinoko. So?" 

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Men! You are so blind. Let's try it in small steps: one," she ticked off on her fingers, "this Lady Naranja knew your father. Two, your father looks like Goku, a _lot_ like Goku--remember, I met him when we went on that little excursion into Hell--and he's a damn handsome man. Three, I heard enough down there to learn that he was a very powerful Saiyan for his rank--like Goku. Four, Lady Naranja _still_ has some 'obsession', as you put it, with your father. Five, I've heard that you look very much like your mother--is that true?" Bulma interrupted herself to ask. 

Raditz nodded. "Very much so, especially our hair." 

"So is it maybe possible that Lady Naranja was, ah, attracted to your father, and was just a bit jealous of your mother, and hates you because you're not only her rival's son, but you _look like her_?" 

Something in Bulma's question hit him like a freight train, unearthing the long-buried memory of a forgotten argument between his parents. He'd been young enough that the words meant little to him, only distress that they were quarreling... 

_"I put in the transfer request. Captain Nabo said I should have no problem getting it approved." Bardock said, eyes averted. He would not look Kinoko in the face. "You'll need to transfer, too."_

_Kinoko stared at her powerfully-built husband, utterly appalled. Her tail uncoiled and lashed, bristling. "What kind of half-witted, brainless idiot are you?? You walk out on an elite commander like Lady Naranja--what kind of post do you think you'll get in the future?" Kinoko braced her hands on her hips and glared down at the shorter, golden-skinned man. "Worse, you want _me_ to walk out on my commander! Bardock, she _needs_ our skills! And you know Lady Naranja is not the forgiving type! You'll be lucky if you can get a post butchering livestock for the barracks messhall!" _

_Bardock half-smirked and continued packing his kit. "Heh. If I did, at least you and the brat wouldn't go hungry." He ruffled young Raditz's shoulder-length hair. "I swear, he's going to have hair as long as yours if it doesn't stop growing soon!" He looked up at his wife. "It won't come to that; they're too short-handed. Warriors with our experience are too valuable to waste because of a petty noble's spite; at worst, we'll get re-assigned to some no-rep squad that needs our skills even more than Naranja does." He grinned, "Then we'll pull their asses out of the fire and they'll get a new rep--as _our_ squad." _

_Kinoko's eyes narrowed. "You don't get it, do you, _third-class_? Without Naranja's patronage, you'll never go anywhere beyond squad leader of a bunch of low-class grunts--I don't care how experienced you are, or how many planetary bounties you claim. Nobody promotes an unconnected third-class peasant, and they don't get the juicy bounty planets, you know that. And trust me, after Naranja takes it on the chin without you there to keep her from doing something stupid, she'll blame you and make sure you never get connected again. She remembers every slight, and never forgives." _

_Bardock frowned at Kinoko. "I know. Why do you think I'm getting out of her company?"_

_Kinoko looked at him quizzically. "She doesn't like _me_ much. So? I can live without the promotions as long as you are in favor. I still get a squad member's share of the bounties--but if we transfer, we don't have even that! Not once you're blacklisted!" Naranja shook her head, shifting her elegant long hair from side to side. "Even if we manage, what kind of future will your son have? A peasant boy with an elite noble for an enemy..." _

_Bardock was determined. "Thanks to my reckless brother getting killed 'in defense of the king', my equally wild nephew Turles got an appointment to the Royal Guard, and he's done pretty well with it. I've already spoken to Turles; he's promised to be Raditz's patron and speak for him when the brat applies for the Guard," Bardock smirked. "Naranja has no pull with Turles, I can tell you that. Not when he's Captain Zorn's fair-haired boy."_

_Kinoko growled and planted both her hands on the sturdy slab table. "None of this would be necessary if you didn't transfer away from Naranja's squad! You're leaving her in the lurch and begging for a blacklisting, and--"_

_"None of this would be necessary if we were all dead, either!" Bardock said, so sharply that Kinoko stopped in mid-sentence to stare at him, open-mouthed._

_"What kind of foolishness is that? Naranja may not be the cleverest officer I've ever seen in action, but she's got you to handle tactics, and we've never been assigned a planet that tough--"_

_"It's not the enemy I'm worried about," Bardock interrupted. "As you said, she's petty and vindictive... and jealous." He glanced significantly at Raditz, and back at his wife._

_"You're not seri-- you are," Kinoko said, eyes narrowing as she looked at her husband. She folded her arms and said nothing, her lips pursed, her face thoughtful. Kinoko's tail switched idly back and forth._

_Bardock nodded. "Ever since Raditz was born, you've gotten the most dangerous tasks on every new planet." He continued packing; now it was his spare armor and clothes going into another duffle bag. "I don't think she quite grasped your true power level until that fight on Tanosit; remember how surprised she was when you blew that Tanosian mech off her?"_

_Kinoko nodded grimly. "So, she thought I was, what--half? a quarter? of that power when she gave me all those point leader and scouting tasks?" Her lips drew back in a snarl. "I see," she growled. "Do you think Captain Nabo can expedite my transfer, as well?"_

_Bardock smirked. "Yes. He said there'd be no problem finding a squad that needed a good command team." He scratched behind one ear with an overly innocent look on his face. "Sometimes I get the idea he doesn't like Lady Naranja, either."_

_"Does _anyone_ like her?" _

Raditz paled. "Rings... and Moon!" He swore softly and fervently. "But after all these _years_??" 

Bulma sniffed. "Hmmph! You have _no_ idea how a woman's mind works, do you? She didn't get Bardock, did she? She got marooned on some god-forsaken planet--with no man to distract her--and had nothing to think about for _thirty years_ but the guy that got away from her! Now most _normal_ women would have gotten over the guy after a while, and counted themselves lucky to have escaped being stuck with him, but sometimes we don't--sometimes a woman can't think of anything else. From what you've said, Naranja certainly hasn't forgotten your father. I'd say she's probably crazy as a bedbug about losing him!" 

Raditz's fists clenched and unclenched. "You... may be right," he growled. "She calls my brother 'Bardock'. I thought she was fooled by Goku's resemblance to our father, but she ignored us both when we told her the truth." His frown deepened. "She wasn't alone, though. By her own account, she had a full squad, but they got killed by the robots of Jinkousei." 

Bulma looked skeptical. "Robots strong enough to kill a squad of guys like you and Nappa? I have a hard time believing that!" 

Raditz looked up, something dark and angry in his eyes. "Oh yes. Not all Saiyans were so powerful as Nappa, and the war machines of Jinkousei killed two Saiyan squads before my mother's team was sent in." His eyebrows lowered in anger, and he growled, "Lady Naranja was the one who reported her death, along with the death of Naranja's own commander, Lord Col. He was Nappa's own son..." 

Bulma looked worried. "Those robots--the ones you and Vegeta rescued Naranja from--those were Jinkousei war machines?" 

"That's what Naranja said. They were powerful, immensely powerful. They would have easily killed me, had I fought them back when I first came to Earth. I think Vegeta would have beaten them, but not so easily as now. But not," Raditz tilted his head, "nearly as powerful as those android friends of yours, from all I've heard." 

Bulma sat down abruptly, white as a sheet. "Trunks and Goten went out there!" 

"What??" Raditz's eyebrows twitched upward, nearly to his hair. "When?" 

"Yesterday. They came back okay--but what if the robots had still been around?" Bulma hugged herself. "A planet full of killer machines like Dr. Gero's androids... How many came here? How many??" She jumped up. "Raditz, take me home, now! This is too important to leave to... whoever. I'll straighten things out with Vegeta myself!" 

Raditz hissed in exasperation. "You know why I can't do that!" 

"I DON'T CARE! Vegeta will believe me!" Bulma stomped her feet. "I'll go myself if you're too big of a coward!" With that, Bulma started marching downhill. 

"That does it--there's only one place safe for you," Raditz snarled, scooping Bulma up under one arm again. He ran and ran, always listening, feeling for Vegeta's ki in his mind. "He's got to sleep sometime," Raditz growled under his breath. He needed to fly to get to the one place Bulma would be safe--the one place where Vegeta would never look for her, because Raditz would never, ever go there. 

Or rather, the one _person_ Raditz would never go to. 

* * *

"Hello, Piccolo." 

It was late, late at night before Vegeta's ki had finally subsided and Raditz had dared to fly to that _other_ ki he knew all too well. High above the bamboo forests of a remote equatorial mountain, the powerful Namek meditated. Spray from a nearby waterfall fell over him in a fine mist. 

Piccolo had already risen from his meditations and stared back at the tall Saiyan--Raditz was the only one of Goku's friends and relatives who matched the Namek's height. The green warrior stood impassively, his arms folded across his chest. 

"Raditz." Piccolo said, in the same tone he might have noted a nearby landmark. His gaze flicked over to Bulma, whom Raditz had just set down. "Bulma." 

"Hi, Piccolo! Boy, you wouldn't believe what's been going on!" Bulma brushed herself off. "I don't suppose you have anything to eat, do you? I'm starving!" 

"I do not eat but--" 

"Well, never mind that! Raditz here has some notion you can keep me safe--this crazy Saiyan bi--er, woman has been trying to get me and Raditz killed since yesterday, and she made Vegeta think Raditz kidnapped me and did unspeakable things with me, but that's totally a lie--well, Raditz _did_ kidnap me, but it was to protect me, and we've got to do something about her before she kills Trunks, or makes Vegeta do it, and--" 

"Enough!" Piccolo held up one hand. "Raditz, translate that into something coherent!" 

Raditz explained the situation in a few terse sentences, arms folded and hair bristling. 

Piccolo smirked, his lip curling up to show one sharp fang. "You are correct--no one will look for Bulma with me. Even I would not have expected it." His eyes narrowed. "I've felt the woman's ki--I've only known three others as vile." 

"Who?" Bulma and Raditz asked simultaneously. 

"Frieza--" 

Raditz snorted, as if to say "how obvious!" 

"Cell, and Doctor Gero," Piccolo concluded. 

"Doctor Gero??" Bulma said, incredulous. "I thought the androids had no ki!" 

"They were alive; they had ki--no more ki than a weak human; nothing we could detect. But at close range, when he was draining me, I could feel the blackness of Gero's hatred. Cell was given Gero's hatred and evil--all the evil of Cell came from Doctor Gero, in full measure." Piccolo's gaze flicked toward Raditz. "Compared to him, you and Nappa were nothing. Kulilin was wrong." 

"About what?" Bulma asked, confused. 

Piccolo smirked again. "About Raditz being worse than the Great Demon King." 

"Cut the crap!" Raditz growled, "If I translate your egotistical boasts correctly, you're telling us Naranja is not just another Saiyan like Nappa... or me. She's something worse." 

"I see even you can grasp the obvious," Piccolo said. 

Raditz clenched his fists and half-crouched. "I don't much like you, Piccolo; I'd like nothing better than to blow a fist-size hole through the middle of _your_ chest and laugh, but we don't have time for my likes and dislikes," the long-haired Saiyan snarled. "For Bulma and Trunks' sake, I have to trust _you_ with _her_ \--" 

"An odd trust," Piccolo noted. 

Raditz's tail lashed from side to side. "I wouldn't trust anyone or anything that was _mine_ to you--but Bulma trusts you. Goku trusts you. _Gohan_ trusts you--so I think a friend of _theirs_ is safe with you." 

Piccolo slowly nodded. "Duty before even Saiyan honor? You have changed, Raditz." 

Raditz turned his back and started away, then looked back over his shoulder. "I care nothing for your opinions, Piccolo! Keep them to yourself!" 

Piccolo waited until Raditz had gone a few more steps. "Raditz!" 

Raditz turned to face him. "What?" 

"I know what you will not admit--you have not the power to challenge me! In time, you will be free of this duty--and if you have inherited the same power that Goku has, you will become a Super-Saiyan. Will you challenge me then?" Piccolo asked, his cold eyes thoughtful. 

Raditz smirked. "No." 

"Why not?" 

"I don't give a damn about _your_ respect, but Gohan would never forgive me if I killed you." With that, Raditz turned and ran back down the mountain. 

He didn't see Piccolo's satisfied smile behind him. 


	14. Chapter 14

"Goku, what is going on?" Chichi said as she spooned rice out of the cooker into the rice bowls at everyone's place. "I don't mind having Trunks over, but shouldn't he be in school? I called Mrs. Briefs, and she did say she sent him over, but didn't make much sense. Where is Bulma? Her mother wouldn't tell me, but I should think Trunks' mother would want to know where her own son was!" 

Trunks stared at his rice bowl and didn't say anything. Goten looked up at his father, curious; Gohan scratched behind his ear and stared nonchalantly at the ceiling. Ox-King, like Goten, seemed bemused and curious. Goku put his hand behind his head and looked slightly sheepish. 

"I don't know, Chi-chi. Whatever is going on, Vegeta is really mad at Raditz about it!" Goku frowned. "He thinks Raditz did something with Bulma, but didn't say what." 

"Well, that's just great!" Chi-chi slammed a tray of sliced fish down onto the table hard enough to send waves sloshing back and forth in everyone's soup. "I always knew that brother of yours was a rude, no-good--" 

"Momma!" Goten said indignantly, biting his lip. "Uncle Raditz isn't bad! I don't care what anyone else says, he's good!" 

Chi-chi's eyes widened, and she threw up her hands. "You see! He's even turned my baby into a rebellious delinquent!" 

Trunks continued to stare at the rice bowl as if his life depended on not one single grain escaping his notice. Finally, he spoke in a small, troubled voice. "Father thinks Raditz kidnapped Bulma, but I don't know why." He looked up into the shocked and silent faces of the Son family. "No one knows where Mom is, and Raditz is gone, too. My dad went looking for them, but I think he wants to hurt Raditz. I don't think Grandma wanted me alone with that mean Saiyan lady there, so she sent me here." 

"So Raditz is a kidnapper?? Goku, you tell him to just stay away from here, and he isn't training Goten any more! You can just forget about that!" Chi-chi snapped. 

"Mom!" Goten wailed, tears starting from the corners of his eyes. "Why are you saying all these bad things about Nunk Rats?" 

"And that's another thing, young man--I don't want to hear that ridiculous term again! I don't want to even hear that worthless creep's name mentioned, but if I have to, he is Raditz, just Raditz! Do you understand?" Chi-chi yelled. "He's no family of mine!" 

"Um, Chi-chi," Goku said, slightly upset. "Maybe you're being too hasty--" 

"Too hasty?" Chi-chi turned on Goku next, while Gohan sat quietly, looking out the nearest window. "Goku, he _killed_ you all those years ago, and nearly let Goten get eaten by demons, and now he's kidnapped Bulma! Who knows what he'll do next?" Chi-chi recited, selectively ignoring the facts. 

Gohan looked troubled. "Mom, he did rescue Goten and Trunks both, that time, and--" 

"Gohan, Goten, I don't want to hear it from either of you! Goten, go to your room, and Gohan, you can finish chopping that wood you never finished the other day!" Chi-chi pointed down the hall. 

"Okay, as soon as I finish eating," Gohan said, quickly filling his plate from the trays of food in the center of the table. 

Goten's face fell. "Don't I get to eat?" He asked in a woe-begone voice. 

Chi-chi frowned. "Oh, very well." She turned to Goku, who was also shoveling food onto his plate. "And--" 

"Mm, Chi-chi, why don't you sit down and have some dinner?" Goku interrupted, smiling at her. "You worked so hard making it and all.." 

Chi-chi put her hands on her hips and glared at Goku, then smiled ever so slightly. "Well, I guess anything else can wait until after dinner. Besides, none of this is Trunks' or Daddy's fault, so I shouldn't spoil their dinners." 

* * *

After shoveling down his lunch, Trunks eagerly followed Goten to the room they would once again share. "Hey, Goten! You won't believe--" 

Goten turned his back on Trunks. "I don't care!" 

"Huh?" Trunks stopped short, confused and a little hurt. 

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you!" Goten stared at the wall, refusing to face Trunks. 

"But... why?" Trunks looked hurt. 

Goten turned around and glared at Trunks, fists clenched. "Why did you have to say all those bad things about Uncle Raditz?? Now Mom won't ever let me see him again, and it's all your fault!" he shouted. 

"B-but I only said--" 

"I DON'T CARE! GO AWAY!" Goten yelled, suspicious moisture glistening in the corners of his eyes. 

Trunks gulped and backed away. "I'm sorry, Goten, I really am. I didn't know..." he trailed off, realizing that Goten was not listening. He stuck his hands in his pockets and left the room to sit on the back porch... alone. 

Later, Gohan finished up his wood-chopping chores. Though his hands were busy with the wood, his mind was far away. 

_I didn't tell them, Piccolo, but it was hard. Mom took even the little bit that Trunks knew all wrong, and Goten is mad at Trunks for telling us, and poor Trunks is one lonely little guy right now._

_You did well, kid. I knew I could trust you, even in the worst circumstances. You know the truth, even if you can't tell them now._

_Yes, but like I said, it was hard. If it was that hard with Dad and Mom, what makes you think I can be trusted 'in the worst circumstances'?_

_Piccolo laughed. You already have been. It's easy to keep secrets from your enemies; keeping secrets from those you love is hardest of all._

* * *

The sun rose over the ocean, staining sky and sea pink with the early morning light. Vegeta stretched and yawned, his muscles cracking and stiff from his unaccustomed bed in the sandy sea cave overlooking the rocky beach. 

The night before, he'd flown until he was trembling with exhaustion, before finally giving in to the need for sleep and curling up in the nearest shelter. Vegeta looked out at the sunrise, frowning thoughtfully. His maddened rage of yesterday had faded; the anger was still there, but now it was cold and focussed, a sharpening of his senses and will. As it should be; as it had been, all those years under Frieza. Anger and rage were tools, used to strengthen himself or to intimidate his enemies and vassals. 

Damn Raditz! Damn Kakarott! Damn them both for making him lose control, for turning his controlled rage into a mindless storm of violence! Only Frieza had ever-- 

Enough! The tyrant was dead, less than dust. Let him be forgotten. Now, it was Raditz he must find, and Bulma. If Bulma was alive and unharmed, Vegeta would kill Raditz quickly. If she was not.... The Saiyan prince closed one hand into a tight fist. 

Now... where were they? Vegeta had flown in a great spiral the day before, senses and powers strained to the utmost, and had found nothing. Part way through the afternoon he almost thought he'd felt Raditz's weak power, but in the western mountains--a short flight away from the city, in the direction he'd fled so early in the morning. Ridiculous! Even Raditz was not so foolish as to stay that close to Vegeta's wrath... 

Ridiculous! Still, Raditz was a fool--he'd attacked Bulma. The fool had to have known he couldn't get away with it--what had come over him? 

Vegeta scowled. Of course; the order to marry Naranja. Vegeta remembered his interview with Raditz several days before in the gravity chamber. The short, powerfully-built Saiyan's eyes narrowed in anger as he took new note of Raditz's odd behavior.... 

"Damn him!" Vegeta hissed aloud to himself and clenched both fists in front of him. So he was hoping _I_ would marry Naranja and leave Bulma to him? Stupid fool! Raditz's strange behavior yesterday--how could he, the Prince of the Saiyans, have been so blind to Raditz's desperation? He'd seen enough desperate fools finally resolve to defy him or Nappa or Frieza, even though they knew they couldn't win. Why hadn't he recognized that uncaring, half-mad mood of Raditz's, why hadn't he known that Raditz would do something desperate?? 

Blood trickled between Vegeta's clenched fingers as his fists tightened and he snarled with rage. He'd smelled the lust in Raditz's blood, how could he have been stupid enough to think Raditz had any desire for Naranja? 

"Prince of the Saiyans? Bah! You are a fool," Vegeta snarled at himself. "You don't even know your own subjects." He paced back and forth on the rocky beach, brooding and trying to think. 

Vegeta couldn't stop himself from brooding on that room, as he'd seen it, as he'd _smelled_ it, thick with the scent of Raditz's and Bulma's lust. He'd gone just a little bit mad then, raging and murderous without restraint, without control--and without a target. 

The coward had panicked and fled, instead of facing his fate like a true Saiyan. Vegeta spat in the sand. Raditz had to know that Vegeta would find him sooner or later; he was only putting off the inevitable. Worse, he'd taken Bulma with him; either in hopes of trading her life for his, or to hide the evidence of his crimes. The fool! After all these years, he had to know his prince better than _that_. 

Where would Raditz go? The obvious move was to hide out with Kakarott, as Kakarott was the only person who had a prayer of protecting him from Vegeta's wrath. But if he had, Kakarott wouldn't have been so innocently fishing far from home, and the idiot had no concept of guile. Hmmmph! The very idea of Kakarott keeping secrets was ridiculous--all those years ago, he'd nearly blurted out the truth of Mirai Trunks parentage right then and there! 

_But he did keep it a secret long enough to matter, didn't he?_ a part of Vegeta's mind reminded him. 

Vegeta scowled again. Perhaps he should check on Kakarott again. Even if Raditz wasn't hiding out with Kakarott, Kakarott might be useful in finding him. Vegeta couldn't keep from remembering Kakarott appearing out of thin air right next to his target, two fingers still raised to his forehead. 

Vegeta might not be able to find Raditz's weak ki, but he could find Kakarott. And Kakarott could find anyone he knew.... 

* * *

Even in her sleep, ancient bitterness filled Naranja's soul..... 

_Lady Naranja had been spared complete humiliation; she had not been reduced to a mere soldier in another's squad. Lord Col commanded a company of three squads; one he lead personally and the other two were led by sub-commanders under his command--and one of those two sub-commanders had recently had the misfortune (or stupidity) to get himself killed. Enter Naranja, Lord Col's newest sub-commander. In spite of the partial honor of serving under so illustrious a commander, the humiliation of being reduced to sub-commander and fill-in replacement for a dead incompetent was more than enough to gall her already bitter soul._

_If that had not been sufficient cause for bitterness in Naranja's mind, there was Lord Commander Col himself._

_He was tall, and powerfully muscled, yet not so heavily built as his father or his more powerful brother Apio. By Saiyan standards, his proportions were perfect and elegant; broad shoulders, narrower waist, strong but not blunt jaw, and an bold, yet unscarred face. A crest of black, upswept hair adorned his head--not so pronounced as the King's, but similar enough to be considered fashionably elegant. Some commented that Col looked more like the king in build and hair than the young prince himself. Col was the handsomest of Nappa's living sons, and well aware of it. That he was, save for the color of his hair, all but the mirror image of his dead brother Diive, no one commented on._

_"I don't care what your record was," he'd told Lady Naranja at their first meeting. "I care what it _is_ under my command. Please me, and you'll go far." _

_"Please me."_

_There were many dimensions to that simple two-word command; Lord Col had the connections--he was the connection!--to get good bounty worlds--and he expected his company to deliver. He also expected cooperation on personal matters from his two female sub-commanders._

_Kyaradamit had scarred Naranja mentally as well as physically. She recognized that Turni, her squad sergeant on Kyaradamit, had been _too_ cooperative, too ready to accede to his commander's wishes. She'd been too bold--she'd always been too bold to the point of recklessness, but Bardock, her old squad sergeant, would argue with her to the point of insubordination to hold her back when she was too reckless. Turni hadn't done that, and it had led to disaster. _

_Garba, the sergeant of her new squad, was not as nervy as Bardock, but neither was he as sycophantic as Turni had been. After Kyaradamit, Naranja grew cautious, too apt to overrule Garba's recommendations as too reckless--and too apt heed any reservations he might express._

_Timidity did not conquer planets with the speed needed to get the best bounties. Lord Col was not pleased._

_"I said I did not care what your past record was," Lord Col snarled at her as Naranja half-knelt before him in his quarters, "but if you weren't a noble of the Tsufurujiti, I would say your disaster on Kyaradamit turned you into a coward!"_

_Naranja wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth; Lord Col had expressed his displeasure at her latest report in true Saiyan fashion. Rage boiled at the edges of control, but she dared not turn her anger on Lord Col. She swallowed hard; there were no excuses she could give, but she had to give one anyway._

_"I delivered the moon base as quickly as reasonably possible, my lord," she answered reluctantly. "Circumstances--"_

_"Circumstances always seem to intervene when you are commanding," growled Lord Col. "Why does Espinica never have the same... 'circumstances'?"_

_Because she spends her time in your bed while her sergeant, Lechuge, wins the battles for her! Lady Naranja thought, but did not answer. If I had Lechuge--or Bardock--you'd soon see the difference between an noble bedwarmer and an elite commander!_

_"The fortunes of battle, my lord," Lady Naranja offered. She gritted her teeth; no doubt if she'd been willing to humor Lord Col and squeal appreciatively at his bedroom prowess the way she'd heard Espinica doing often enough, Col would have overlooked the delayed conquests and diminished bounties._

_Or perhaps not. Lord Col took as much pride in his reputation for swift, thorough conquests of worlds as in his reputation for swift, thorough conquests of the other type--and Lady Naranja was dragging down his reputation in both departments._

_Damn it! If she only had a decent sergeant! Losing Bardock to that wench had cost Naranja more than she'd ever dreamed possible. Damn her and all her brats to Hell!_

_Lord Col glared at her. "I have a new job. There's something tough on Jinkousei, and the bounty has gone up, so I'm taking it. The world has eaten two low-class squads already, so I'll have to hit it hard with the full company." He grabbed the front of Naranja's armor and lifted her to her feet, and growled, his face inches from hers, "See that your fortunes change for the better, or I promise you--I will change them for the worse!"_

Naranja sat up, groggy from her long sleep, shaking with old rage at remembered humiliation. She growled wordlessly, and stretched. As Naranja woke up more fully in the here and now, she smiled cruelly, with a certain satisfaction; in the end, all humiliation was and would be repaid. With interest. 

The Saiyan woman carefully re-fitted the scouter to her ear and clicked it on. Tap, tap, tap; Naranja cycled through the sensitivity settings, turning her head from side to side. She frowned, not liking what she found. 

Prince Vegeta is still searching! Raditz is not dead yet. Naranja's fingers flexed, and her tail curled tightly around her waist. Damn! How hard is it to kill one low-class fool? 

_The target must be located before engaging._

I know that! But if Vegeta has not found and slain Raditz yet.... Naranja growled and began to pace down the halls of her half-ruined mansion. Every moment that fool remains alive increases our danger! If Vegeta should find Bulma alive, and she tells him--No! Raditz and the wench must be found and slain. Now! 

_What resources do you wish to commit?_

Naranja paused in her directionless pacing. How many of the new units are ready? 

_One assault group of twenty-seven units._

So few?? There should be a hundred times that by now! 

_Doctrine mandates the co-production of transport for each assault group._

My new soldiers are being delayed for the production of _transports_?? Bah! Let them take the places of the existing ones; _those_ useless pieces of crap can wait for new transports instead! 

_Acknowledged. Any additional orders?_

I want three transports in orbit, searching for anomalous power signals at all times. Sooner or later, Raditz will have to move and use power, and I will find him! 

_Acknowleged. Any additional orders?_

Naranja's eyes glinted. Yes. Design the weapons to kill Vegeta. 


	15. Chapter 15

The hours of waiting gnawed at Lady Naranja. When would she get some report of the bastard? Vegeta was supposed to kill him immediately--not chase him for days! If Vegeta cooled enough to question Raditz instead of killing him outright... 

No. That would not happen; even if Raditz talked, it would be dismissed as lies from a coward afraid to die. The 'evidence' against him was Vegeta's own senses. But what of the woman's testimony? Naranja clenched her fists until the nails bit into her palms. 

The 'evidence' was against her, too--yet not as completely. Naranja had had no way to use the vermin woman as she'd used Raditz. Still, given the hot blood of the Vegeta princes, it _should_ be enough. 

Naranja stopped pacing. 'Should' was not good enough. It _had_ to be enough, and the only way it would be enough was if the woman wasn't around to contradict the tale Vegeta's senses told him. Indeed, were Raditz as guilty as Naranja had tried to make him, he would have killed the woman and buried her deep as soon as possible. It was only fitting that the picture of his guilt be made complete. 

_Notification: four anomalous powers and two inorganic power sources have been located._

Four! And two _inorganic_ sources?? Naranja bit her lip. Bardock, Vegeta, that vermin whelp of Bardock's, Raditz, but what were the two inorganic sources? 

_Source A matches previous readings on entity designated 'Bardock'. Source B matches Vegeta. Source C location matches entity designated 'Bardock whelp'; power level varies. Source D does not match Raditz's recorded power. Location is also anomalous. Inorganic sources P1 and P2 are more compact and mobile than previously noted for indigenous power plants._

Compact and _mobile_?? The vermin have warbots of their own? That is definitely a threat! Locate and identify these power plants! As for the rest, I am only interested in Raditz. 

_All sources are sufficiently powerful to be a threat._

I will deal with Bardock, and I have already given orders regarding Vegeta, have I not? As for the others.... Yes. Eliminate the corruption that has softened Bardock--kill the whelp and the woman! 

_The remaining sources are still a threat._

Some of the older units should be sufficient to deal with them! I don't want to alert Vegeta before the attack on Raditz, so prepare for a simultaneous strike on all targets. 

_Acknowledged._

* * *

I've gotten soft, Raditz thought as he circled another farmstead lookng for livestock. It's been too long since I lived off the land while hunting a planet. I let myself get too comfortable with two meals a day and a soft bed to sleep in every night. Now that I'm out in the wilderness hunting my own meat and sleeping on rocks--I hate it! 

_Or do I hate it because it reminds me too much of my planet-clearing_ _days?_ With a single swift blow, Raditz snapped the neck of a steer that had ventured too close to the perimeter fence. Heaving the massive carcass over his shoulder, Raditz withdrew into the neighboring woods as quickly as he'd come. 

As he roasted a side of beef over the fire he'd built, Raditz pondered his present course. I can't keep running aimlessly; that's only putting off the inevitable. That, and Bulma will kill me if I keep running up her bill for livestock compensation. 

Bulma... Raditz thought of how he'd woken up to find her in his arms, warm, soft and naked, her blue hair tickling his nose, and the scent of her desire permeating the room. Raditz shivered; all the memory brought him was the ghost of the cold, heart-stopping fear he'd known in that moment. Never again would he be able to think of Bulma _that way_ without the crawling terror that now haunted him--fear for her, for himself, and the sheer horror of knowing he'd brought it all on himself from his inability to control his passion. 

I should hate myself for being so weak and un-Saiyan as to fear Bulma's husband, Raditz thought sardonically--but what warrior would not fear Vegeta's wrath? Goku, perhaps--but it would never occur to him to desire another man's wife. No, he decided, it is very Saiyan to fear the king's wrath. 

Raditz smirked to himself. I'm still very much a Saiyan, he thought as he ripped the meat from still-hot roasted ribs. I'm also still very much in trouble, and not any closer to getting Bulma safely home. Now what? 

Then Goku appeared. 

* * *

Vegeta hovered, mind focused and clear, waiting. Yes! There he was! He smirked cruelly to himself; Kakarott was the one person Vegeta could always sense. 

He flexed his hands briefly and then howled as his power climbed explosively; hair flashed golden in a heartbeat, and the turquoise-eyed Saiyan hurtled high into the atmosphere in an arc toward Kakarott's new position. Raditz would not escape him this time. Vegeta licked his lips in anticipation. 

It had been a good plan; Kakarott was so gullible! 

_"Kakarott! Don't bother telling me you don't know where Raditz is--I know you can probably find him. Find him, and tell him that IF he returns Bulma alive and unharmed, I will let him live!" At Kakarott's suspicious look, he'd shrugged and said, "Well, I'll give him three days headstart; if he's off the planet by then, I won't bother chasing him."_

Kakarott had nodded and told Vegeta he'd let Raditz know if he saw him--just as Vegeta had expected. Then Vegeta had left--but kept himself aware of Kakarott's presence--and as Vegeta had also expected, Kakarott had vanished, moving hundreds of miles in an instant with that Instantaneous Movement technique of his--no doubt to tell Raditz the news. 

Naive fool! Did he really think that the Prince of the Saiyans could let such a traitor live? 

* * *

Hundreds of miles away, Raditz told Goku the same thing. 

"He said _what_??" Raditz stared at his younger brother in horror. "Goku, he's lying to you! Vegeta _can't_ let me live if he thinks I've committed the crime he's after me for! I didn't, but that's besides the point. But..." Raditz looked puzzled, "he's got to know that I know that, and wouldn't meet him in any case--" 

Raditz and Goku's heads snapped up simultaneously; they both felt the explosive increase in Vegeta's power. 

Raditz glared at Goku. "So that's it! Kakarott, you idiot! _Vegeta can_ _sense you!_ He tricked you into finding me!" 

Goku was suddenly crestfallen. "Oops. I'm sorry, Raditz--I knew Vegeta was up to something, but I didn't think he could sense me that well." His face turned grim. "I know you wouldn't hurt Bulma; I won't let Vegeta kill you until this is straightened out." Goku's ki suddenly flared as he, too, became a Super-Saiyan. 

"I'm not waiting around to see," Raditz growled, letting his ki rise enough to dart away into the air. Vegeta already knew where he was; his only chance was to move quickly and go to ground--again. 

* * *

Naranja prowled the corridors of Capsule Corporation, pacing restlessly. This waiting was maddening, tearing at her nerves and patience. She clenched and unclenched her fists; the only calming thing she could do for the moment was to contemplate just how she would kill all the swarming vermin in this place--including, and especially that purple-haired abomination. Her eyes narrowed; just how tough would the half-breed prove to be? Would he last long enough to amuse her? 

Naranja continued to pace. Where had the brat gotten to, anyway? She didn't see him around. No matter; patience was everything. If she could control herself and just _wait_ , everything would fall into place. 

It did all those years ago... 

_Naranja slumped against a slab of broken ceracrete, panting heavily. Dust and ash streaked her hair and smeared her face, but did not hide the glint in Naranja's eye as she looked at the rest of her weary, battered team--and the even more battered Saiyans that had been Sub-commander Espinica's team._

_They'd fought well, all of them; Lechuge, Espinica's squad sergeant had pulled his squad together and ordered a devastating counter-attack after the ambush that had killed Espinica. Naranja decided that she'd recommend to Lord Col that he keep Lechuge on, no matter who he got to replace Espinica._

_Though she could not hide the glint in her eye, Naranja managed to keep the glee she felt off her face. Espinica was dead! The stupid bitch hadn't paid attention when Naranja warned Lord Col that this bunker's defenses were much tougher than any seen before, and that one of her scouts had spotted a new kind of warbot..._

_Naranja ground her teeth, remembering the humiliation of being ordered to stand aside and let Espinica's squad 'handle' it. It was only the most recent of many such humiliations: being given the easy clean-up and scouting jobs, but being pulled back from any real fights in favor of Espinica and her squad. Lord Col said nothing to Naranja, but the message was clear: she was a coward, and not trusted to stand and fight._

_Espinica, however, had had all too much to say. "We can't allow someone of your rank to be endangered, Lady Naranja. My squad will handle it from here in; after all, a certain amount of boldness might be necessary." If Espinica hadn't been Lord Col's second-in-command, Naranja would have happily ripped her entrails out then and there. As it was, Naranja 'forgot' to mention that the bunker defenses and the warbots were fighting as if under some kind of intelligent central control._

_It was simply the fortunes of war that Espinica blundered into an ambush by warbots with far heavier armament than any of them had yet seen. Who would have suspected that the massed fire of over a dozen of the unknown new type of warbot could kill an elite Saiyan? Who could have guessed that the crab-like monstrosities had the tactical programming to plan such an ambush?_

_Naranja smiled to herself. She'd figured it out, and taken her team in to rescue what was left of Espinica's team--then taken the two squads into the heart of the complex and blown the central computer to hell. After that, it was just a matter of mopping up a bunch of mindless tin-cans with plasma guns. Easy job._

_Lechuge was busy chatting with his scouter; from the tone of his voice, and the snatches of conversation Naranja could hear, Lord Col was getting the sergeant's version of events. Naranja's smile turned to a smirk. She stood and stretched, working out the kinks in sore, strained muscles. Lord Col should be getting rather different account of Naranja than he was wont._

_Not much later, Naranja's scouter beeped, and Lord Col's voice echoed in her ear, less snide and more approving than usual. "Sub-commander Naranja, you did a good job with that bunker. You've already got a squad, but Lechuge's squad needs a new commander. Care to make a recommendation?"_

_Naranja frowned to herself. He expects me to suggest someone who can work with him, but is competent--this world is too tough for screw-ups and weaklings. Hmmph! As if I am going to recommend another bedwarmer who will get all the bonuses and commendations that should have been mine! But who, then?_

_Naranja froze. Of course! An evil smirk spread across her face. She had the looks, and she could fight--and she'd be here, far away from Bardock--but in Naranja's reach. Yes... She tapped her scouter for transmission._

_"Lord Col, check the record of 2nd-Class Warrior Kinoko. I believe she is unassigned at the moment--medical leave or some such--and will suit your needs very well."_

BEEP! 

The power-level alarm on her scouter snatched Naranja abruptly from her reverie. She snapped her head around, facing the bearing indicated by her scouter for the monstrous power that had arisen some miles away and was moving rapidly. 

_Notification: Source E, matching previous readings on Raditz, has appeared. Vegeta's power has increased to extremely threatening levels. Instructions?_

Naranja adjusted her scouter as she ran for the nearest open space and hurtled into the air. Kill Raditsu! Kill the vermin threats, kill Bardock's whelp, kill them all! 

\--but don't finish Raditsu, she added as she flew toward his location. Leave him for me. 


	16. Chapter 16

It was only the second day--or was it the third?--after Bulma's kidnapping and Raditz's disappearance; events, Nezumi thought, that had brought nearly as much chaos to Capsule Corp as the Great Earthquake. 

At first, they knew only that Raditz was missing and that Vegeta had gone into a rage unlike anything any of them had ever seen, wrecking half of Naranja's manor in the process. Nezumi had hoped that perhaps Vegeta had gotten mad at the woman and killed her, but no such luck; after the security cameras had re-booted themselves and recovered from the side-effects of the wild energies of Vegeta's rage, Lina had spotted the woman staggering into the Brief's residential compound. 

"Uh-oh," she muttered and one hand darted to a bank of switches and hovered there for a moment as Lina hesitated. There were very firm rules about spying on the Briefs family, but looked like it might be an emergency.... 

Lina flicked the switches, turning on the inactive cameras located inside the residential compound and tying them into the security office monitors, which she and Nezumi watched very closely indeed. 

They watched as Mrs. Briefs calmly fed Lady Naranja breakfast, and witnessed Naranja's sneering words to Trunks and Mrs. Briefs about Bulma--and learned that Bulma was missing too, and that Raditz was her kidnapper. 

_"...Raditsu has fled with the speed of guilt, and taken your mother with him. At the very least he has kidnapped and defiled her; at the worst she betrayed the prince willingly!"_

"I don't believe it!" were Nezumi's first words. "He wouldn't do any such thing!" 

"There's one way to find out," Lina said. "Let's see the perimeter cameras have to show." Fingers danced across the keyboard as Lina called up the early morning video files and displayed them on one of the monitor. 

All too soon she found the key sequence: the back of Naranja's manor exploding to reveal the blurry shape with long black hair hurtling through the air, with a blue-haired shape in its arms. 

"Let me clean this up," Lina said grimly. A single frame was enlarged, sharpened, enhanced. Nezumi bit her lip as the damning image revealed itself: Raditz, utterly naked, carrying the limp, white-draped form of Bulma Briefs in his arms. Whether Bulma was dead or merely unconscious, they could not tell. 

"No," whispered Nezumi. "It can't be. Raditz wouldn't...." her voice trailed off. 

"Now we know why Vegeta is after him," Lina said in an odd tone of voice, gripping the edge of her desk with white-knuckled hands. "Now we know what he did to Bulma." 

"Lina, I can't believe you think that! We've worked for the man for a year now, seeing him every day--how can you know him _that_ well and think he's capable of rape and kidnapping! And of Ms. Bulma, of all people! Lina, I was with Raditz when he was hunting the demon-worshippers that kidnapped Ms. Bulma and Trunks--he'd _die_ to protect them!" 

"I would have thought that he'd protect you, too--but looked what happened after that bitch hurt you! Just because they're the same kind, he did _nothing_!" Lina snapped. 

"You know there had to have been more to it than that!" Nezumi argued. "Lina, I saw that man ask to be _killed_ and sent to _Hell_ because he thought that's what it would take to rescue the kids!" 

Lina folded her arms, a stubborn frown set on her face. "Hmmmph. Vegeta's son and his own brother's son--sure, he's protecting his own kind." 

"Lina! When did you turn into a bigot??" Nezumi had all but screamed. "That's not like you!" 

"Well... why didn't Raditz do something about that woman? And where is he now? Where is Ms. Bulma?" Lina asked pointedly. "Nezumi, I know you like Raditz, but that fondness is blinding you to the facts. The cameras don't lie," she tapped the monitor with one finger. "See for yourself!" 

"There's got to be an explanation," Nezumi said, folding her arms stubbornly. In spite of her words, an ugly doubt nibbled at the back of her mind. Raditz _had_ had an interest in Ms. Bulma; a higly improper interest, in Nezumi's opinion. And Lina had said something about Vegeta _ordering_ Raditz to marry Lady Naranja... could Raditz have lost control on getting that order and--? 

No. It made no sense, not for the man she thought she knew. But did she know him all that well? 

Lina sniffed. "I don't get it myself, but I won't ignore facts just because they don't fit my opinions." 

"What 'facts'? All we know is that Raditz carried Ms. Bulma off this morning. Maybe he had a good reason--maybe it was an emergency of some kind," Nezumi argued feebly, aware of how stupid her argument sounded. But the idea that Raditz had suddenly snapped and... done what he was accused of was just as stupid. 

Lina looked at Nezumi pityingly. "There's only one emergency I know of that requires a man to run away stark naked with another man's wife; it involves being caught by the husband of the wife in question. And Vegeta did go berserk and head off after Raditz." 

Nezumi glared back at her friend. "You do realize that the only reason a man in that situation would run off with the wife is if he thinks the angry husband might kill the wife?" 

It was Lina's turn to glare at Nezumi. "I can't believe that of Ms. Bulma. She wouldn't cheat on Vegeta! If she cared more about Raditz than Vegeta, she'd just dump Vegeta! I mean, she dumped Yamucha, remember?" 

"She didn't have a baby by Yamucha, either!" Nezumi snapped, and then conceded, "but you're right, I can't see Bulma going behind Vegeta's back to sleep with Raditz any more than I can see Raditz doing anything bad to Bulma. None of it makes any sense!" 

Fortunately, Naranja contributed nothing more to the day's chaos, but was content to eat a huge meal and vanish into her half-wrecked house; Nezumi's nerves were a wreck by then, and the suspense of wondering when the bitch would come out and do something _else_ hadn't helped. It wasn't until the next day that she started thinking clearly again. 

* * *

"Lina, I am an idiot," Nezumi suddenly announced. 

"In general, or did you have something specific in mind?" Lina replied dryly. 

Nezumi snorted in exasperation. "Specifically, how did Ms. Bulma get to Naranja's manor with Raditz? And where was Naranja when whatever was going on was going on?" She started punching up video records on her computer. "Let's see.... hmmm... That's odd." 

"What?" 

"I've found where Naranja went home, and where Raditz talked to her and left again, but I can't find anything with him later, or Bulma. Instead, there's a big fat gap in the video files. between about 6pm and midnight." 

Lina looked up sharply. "You mean the files are missing?" 

"No, I mean the files on those perimeter cameras, and only those cameras, have nothing but black for the whole time. The video feed was disconnected somehow, without notifying the computer of the malfunction." Nezumi frowned. 

Lina started punching up files on her own, squinting suspiciously at the results. "Raditz would have known about the perimeter cameras, and could have just pulled a video cable loose, if he didn't want to be recorded." 

"Bulma would have known, too," Nezumi retorted. "In fact, anyone with two brain cells to rub together could have noticed the security cameras and drawn the obvious conclusions. It's not like we hide them; we want them visible enough to discourage casual miscreants." She sighed. "I wish we had cameras inside that mansion! Then we might have a chance of finding out what happened!" 

Lina looked up again. "It's a Model 370 Manor, top of the line. It has its own security monitoring system." As Nezumi's face lit up, Lina continued, "Unfortunately, nobody bothered turning it on, or hooking it up to our security network, so no recordings were made." 

Nezumi pouted briefly, then chewed her lip with determination. "Can you get the activation code out of the records? I think we should hook it up now. Might be nice to keep an eye on that woman, at least. And I'm setting up the system to track her wherever she goes on the grounds, _especially_ the Briefs compound!" 

Lina nodded. "You didn't like the way she talked about Trunks either, did you?" When Nezumi nodded in agreement, Lina continued, "Now you're thinking! Yesterday you were letting your feelings totally cloud your thoughts." 

Nezumi snorted. "You mean like you've been letting your anger at my getting hurt to cloud your thoughts? You've been blaming Raditz for Naranja's bad behavior ever since!" 

Lina's gaze dropped to the floor. "Er, well, yes." She looked up, a bit sheepish. "I was mad at him because he wouldn't do anything about Naranja. Still, you have to admit the evidence against him looks pretty bad." 

"No, it makes no sense when you consider all of it. Part of the 'evidence' is what we know about the man's character, Lina, and what makes sense. Raditz doing something bad to Ms. Bulma is just not him, and I don't know Vegeta that well, but Raditz does--and even I can figure out that messing with Vegeta's family is a bad, bad idea. Raditz couldn't be sane and do something this blatantly stupid." 

"He may not be sane," Lina observed. "He's been a bit stressed lately, and he might have gone off the deep end. Maybe he went off the deep end last year, with the demon and all, and this business with Naranja just triggered it." 

Now it was Nezumi's turn to look pityingly at Lina. "You're really reaching now. We're both ex-cops; we've both dealt with our share of loonies. Don't you think at least one of us would have noticed if Raditz was borderline psycho? We work with him day in and day out, and I've seen the man under the worst stress and guilt anyone could possibly be under. He didn't snap; he just faced up to it and did what he thought was his duty. That guy is tough as hell, mentally." 

"And physically." Lina added. "Okay, if he didn't snap, what in the hell happened?" 

"Beats the hell out of me." Nezumi played around with her computer a bit more. "The cops have already been told Bulma is missing, maybe kidnapped, so we've got every cop in the country, from the feds on down to the village watchman looking for her. If she can be found outside of Capsule Corporation grounds, they'll do it. We'll keep investigating it from here, because it started here, in _that_ manor over there, and if Raditz isn't guilty, I'll bet that Naranja _is_. Somehow." 

* * *

Vegeta streaked through the sky, grinning in anticipation. Raditz was moving fast, trying to escape--too fast. Vegeta could sense his ki, and knew where renegade Saiyan was at every instant. He was right--there! 

Vegeta swooped down-- 

\--and halted abruptly as the blazing golden-haired form of Kakarott appeared in his path, two fingers still touching his forehead. 

"Out of my way, Kakarott!" Vegeta snarled. 

"No, Vegeta! I won't let you kill Raditz like that!" Goku's face was stern. 

"This is none of your business, Kakarott! I'll only warn you once! GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Vegeta shouted, fury knotting his muscles. 

"We don't know the truth, Vegeta. It's not right to kill someone who might be innocent; I won't let you." Goku hovered before Vegeta, stubbornly determined. 

Vegeta's turquoise eyes narrowed. "Then I'll kill you first!" he roared, lashing out at Goku. 

The first blow was easily blocked, and then battle was joined. As they traded flurry after flurry of kicks and punchs, Raditz's faint ki receded further and further away; far above them, unnoticed, a black wedge streaked across the sky, spilling shining ruin in its wake. 

* * *

Trunks felt a cold wind blow past and _through_ him; he shivered. It wasn't that cold out here on the porch! He stood up and looked around uncertainly; maybe Goten had gotten over being mad and would play with him again. 

As Trunks debated what to do, Goten stormed out onto the porch, wide-eyed and frantic. 

"Trunks! We have to hide! Right now!" Goten jumped up and down, all anger at his friend forgotten. "Something bad is coming!" 

Trunks looked around quickly; he couldn't see anything but trees and fields and the house. "What? Where?" 

"I don't know what! Perejil is scared again and wants us to hide! Last time he did that, that mean Saiyan lady nearly blowed up the house!" 

"Perejil?" Trunks looked at Goten suspiciously. "Who is Perejil?" 

As if in answer, the cold wind blew over Trunks again, and he heard Goten saying exasperatedly, "The ghost boy from the alien wreck, remember? An' he's got a tail like Uncle Raditz and your dad." 

Trunks looked nervous now. "The g-ghost? He's here??" 

Goten braced his hands on his hips. "Trunks! What are you scared of? He'd just a ghost!" the younger half-Saiyan said scornfully. "Now, hurry up!" 

The scorn in Goten's voice did the trick. "I'm not scared of anything!" Trunks snapped angrily. "I'm a Saiyan, and Saiyans don't get scared! And what do _we_ need hide for?" He braced his shoulders and feet, planting them firmly as if daring Goten to make him go anywhere. 

Goten thought quickly; Perejil was frantic with terror, and he had to get Trunks moving! "Well, let's hide anyway. I know a neat place under the house, where we can talk without Momma scaring Perejil away. An' if something attacks, we can sneak out and ambush it while it's fighting Gohan!" 

Trunk frowned thoughtfully, then grinned. "That's a great idea! Show me!" 

The children disappeared under the house as the first of the bomb-droids swooped down through the trees... 

* * *

Though the Ox King couldn't understand Saiyan, he did understand the ways of spirits. So when the ghostly monkey-tailed boy (So unlike Goku, this one--thin and tall and serious, where young Goku had been stocky and well-fed and all grins and laughter) appeared and frantically beckoned to him, raw terror in his eyes, Ox King didn't hesitate. He didn't stop to persuade Chi-chi to come with him. He simply picked up his daughter, tucked her under one arm, and ran for hills. The great bull-demon knew that when a ghost appeared to give you, personally, a supernatural warning, you listened--and acted. You didn't argue about it, you didn't put it off until tomorrow, you did whatever was needed right then and there. 

Chi-chi didn't see it that way. 

"Daddy, what are you doing? Have you gone crazy? Put me down this instant!" 

Something shrieked by, just over their heads as Ox King flung her headlong into a hillside cave-- 

BOOM! The house exploded behind them with a deafening roar; the blast bowled the mighty Ox King over, tumbling him into the cave atop Chi-chi and covering them both with dirt and ash. 

Chi-chi sat up first, pushing her stunned father aside, and looked back toward the house. A huge cloud of smoke and ash mushroomed into the sky. 

"GOHAN! GOTEN! MY BABIES!" 

* * *

Raditz could feel the powers raging behind him; more importantly, he could sense that Vegeta's power remained well behind him, with Goku. With the tiny bit of relief that brought him, the long-haired Saiyan began to think again, instead of fleeing like a panicked animal. 

"Idiot!" Raditz cursed himself as he dropped abruptly to the ground and began to run at an acute angle to his previous line of flight. In his panic, he realized, he'd fled as fast as he could fly--and used enough power that Vegeta could have followed him from the other side of the world. Only Goku's intervention had saved him. "Stupid fool!" 

At least, Raditz thought grimly, my power is low enough that Vegeta can't find me, and can only kill me if he destroys the entire region. Knowing Vegeta, he just might do that--if Goku doesn't stop him. 

Damn it! This is my problem, little brother shouldn't have been dragged into it. But-- 

Raditz dodged around more trees and skidded to an abrupt stop as the forest opened up to reveal a heavily traveled highway. He ducked back behind the trees, staying out of sight of passing cars. I can't do this--it's taking all my skills to keep myself and Bulma out of Vegeta's reach. There is no way I can go back to Capsule Corporation and figure out what the hell happened and prove it to Vegeta while I'm on the run. 

He turned, very reluctantly, to face the highway. I can't do this alone. But-- 

Unlike Vegeta's finely-honed ki sense, the electronic power-level sensors locked onto Raditz did not care that his power had dropped below the threshhold of ki sensing. They already had a lock on him, and his power was still enough higher than the humans he passed to be distinguishable. Nor did their users care about the innocent humans in the vicinity. 

The black bomb-droids hurtled down on Raditz like giant buzzing wasps. 

* * *

Goku dodged a ferocious blast from Vegeta--then the first bomb-droid hit him. The black dart registered on his combat-tuned senses an instant before it hit, and he instinctively swung a hand up to block the speeding projectile-- 

WHAAAAAMMM! 

The violent explosion caught Goku by surprise, flinging him back and to one side. Before he could recover, three more bored in and exploded-- 

Goku recovered himself at the bottom of a crater, his ears ringing, his gi singed, and an immense, mushrooming cloud of smoke surrounding him. Then Vegeta hit him. 

Vegeta had not been surprised; he'd seen the vicious black wasps before, and knew what they could do. After shrugging off their explosive attacks, he dove into the cloud of smoke and ash surrounding Kakarott, hoping to catch the staggering Saiyan off his guard. He succeeded. 

Vegeta put his full strength into a right cross that slammed solidly into Kakarott's jaw, sending the surprised hero skidding across the earth until he crashed into the bottom of a rocky cliff. The impact of Kakarott's crash jarred loose several boulders and brought them raining down atop the stunned Saiyan. 

The Saiyan prince regarded his handiwork with cold satisfaction, rubbing his bruised knuckles with the other hand. Kakarott was out of his way for the moment; now for Raditz! 

WHIRRR-CLANK! WHIRRR-CLANK! 

"What?" Vegeta's head snapped around toward the strange sound. More of the strange robots--this time, the crab-legged, armored things that had attacked Lady Naranja. Vegeta's lips curled into a sneer; even Raditz could demolish these tin-cans! 

The shiny, crab-like robots lifted and pointed stubby tubes at Vegeta, who sneered even more. These mindless automatons thought to attack a Saiyan prince with mere weapons?? 

The stubby tubes unfolded to reveal a multiple-barreled weapon. Vegeta frowned slightly; this was different from before, and there was something naggingly familiar about the weapon... 

ZZAAAKKKKRAMMMM! 

Eighteen robots opened fire with their curious six-barrelled weapons. A storm of white-hot energy slammed into Vegeta, staggering him with unexpected ferocity. Rock shattered and split as Vegeta was forced backwards into the same cliff that had stopped Kakarott's headlong flight. 

At last, the firing paused. Bruised and battered, Vegeta dragged himself out of the rock, panting heavily. His eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched with rage. 

You fool! Vegeta raged at himself. You let your guard down and let a bunch of stupid tin-cans make an idiot out of you! What the hell-- 

ZZAAAKKKKRAMMMM! ZZAAAKKKKRAMMMM! 

As the robots opened fire again, Vegeta finally remembered where he'd seen a weapon like that before. He braced himself, using his full ki to block a kind of power he hadn't seen since the Cell Games. 

"Android 16..." he murmurmed to himself. "What has that dead robot to do with these _alien_ war machines?" 

* * *

Some instinct warned Gohan a split-second before the bombs hit, and he braced himself, holding his ki in defense. When the smoke cleared and he could blink the dazzle from the flash of the blast out of his eyes, Gohan was surprised to realize that he was still standing. His shirt was in tatters--Mom will be furious, she made that one herself!--and the entire house was in tumbled splinters around him, but Gohan stood, his arms slowly uncrossing from guard position in front of his face. He stood a bit lower than he had before, true--there was a deep crater where most of the house had been--but he stood. 

Goten and Trunks sprawled at his feet, groaning; they had survived the massive blast for one reason, and one reason only: Gohan was in the house above them. The older half-Saiyan rolled his head, stretching his neck muscles and trying to shake the ringing out of his ears. He slipped into fighting stance as several car-sized, silvery disks slammed into the earth all around him. 

WHIRRR-CLANK! WHIRRR-CLANK! 

The black-haired teenager scowled as the silvery disks unfolded silvery legs and flipped themselves over, like so many beached crabs righting themselves. Gohan scowled more fiercely as some of the silvery legs raised up and pointed short, fat silvery tubes in his direction. 

"Goten! Trunks!" Gohan barked. "Get away from here--find dad!" I can't sense any ki, thought Gohan. They're machines! He crossed his arms in a full ki-block as all nine of the silvery crab-things pointed the tubes at him. 

Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-ZZAAAKKKK! 

Nine white-hot plasma beams slammed into Gohan's crossed arms. When the dazzle faded, Gohan peered over his arms at the crab-like robots, his nose wrinkling at the smell of singed hair. 

"That wasn't very nice," he said. Gohan extended his right hand. 

"MAA-SEN-KO!" A bolt of white energy flashed out from hand, and a robot exploded. Eight plasma beams flashed back in response; Gohan's other hand came up and the beams rebounded, deflected by Gohan's ki. Not one black hair on Gohan's head stirred. Gohan then hurled eight more bolts in rapid succession, and the robots exploded into molten fragments. 

Trunks and Goten stared wide-eyed at the ruin around them--but only Goten could see the ghostly Perejil staring at Gohan in rapt, incredulous awe. 


	17. Chapter 17

Bulma regarded the ancient inscriptions carved into the chamber walls uncertainly. If she'd had her handcomp and her usual supply of capsules, it would have been simple enough to throw together a grammatical analysis program to make some sense out of the cryptic glyphs. Unfortunately, Piccolo didn't keep such things around; the best she could manage at the moment was pen and paper. 

At least she had clothes, though Bulma still wasn't sure that the archaic gown and jewelry was really an improvement over Seventeen's hand-me-down flannel and jeans. Piccolo had some odd tastes in clothes and architecture. 

"What is this place??" Bulma had asked when Piccolo brought her to the ancient, vine-covered temple buried deep in the southern jungles. Built of cyclopean blocks of black basalt, its spires reached out of the sea of green like some half-hidden reef; underneath the trees, it sprawled for acres, courtyards and subsidiary buildings surrounding the central temple. 

He'd smirked, baring one white fang. "This is the temple of Piccolo Dai-Mao, where for years I plotted my conquest of the world. There was once an entire monastic order devoted to worshipping and serving Me, and I raised my servant demons here as well." 

As Bulma looked nervously about, Piccolo smirked again. "They're long gone; that was a thousand years ago or more--I forget how long I was imprisoned. It's safe enough, if you avoid the mundane dangers--and one more thing." 

"What's that?" Bulma asked, distractedly wondering what the 'mundane dangers' were. 

"Don't open any sealed doors leading below ground level. Not all of my demon servants were killed by Goku." 

With that parting admonishment, he'd left her in the main hall with several crates of supplies--food, mostly, and bedding--and withdrawn to one of the high spires to watch and mediate, Bulma assumed. She'd been left to her own devices. 

The 'mundane dangers' turned out to be the usual suspects for jungle ruins: poisonous snakes, scorpions, overly friendly, grapefruit-sized spiders, biting insects, bad footing, and the patch of man-eating plants guarding the front gates. Nothing she hadn't faced in her youthful quests for the dragonballs, but they kept her from being bored during the first day of exploration. 

The next day, she'd started taking note of the inscriptions and reliefs carved all over the main temple--and on the three sealed doors leading into the depths below. Though the carven script used some form of ancient Sanskrit letters, Bulma suspected that what they recorded here was not in the Sanskrit language. And then there were the curiously familiar, yet alien glyphs graven on the altar-throne... 

W-W-W-W-WHAAAAAMMM! 

The wave of aerial explosions high above caught Bulma off balance, leaning over the throne to sketch some of the more alien glyphs. The great temple trembled; slabs of stone the size of a car came tumbling down all around. 

"AHHHHHHH!" Bulma screamed and dove for cover behind the demon throne as a great basalt block crashed down less than twenty feet away, followed by another even closer. "PICCOLO, WHAT'S GOING ON?" 

The distant rippling howl of Piccolo's spiral energy beam attack gave Bulma the only answer aside from silence; the Namekian warrior was fighting something. Another explosion brought more of the ceiling down, and Bulma yelped and scrambled down the hidden stairs she'd discovered behind the throne. 

The only problem, she thought as she flicked on her flashlight to reveal the sealed, glyph-covered door at the bottom of the stairs, is if I have to go deeper to get away from this battle. 

* * *

Kulilin's choices were much simpler: blow up the black darts at a distance, or use _ki-enzan_ to slice up the clanking machines trying to shoot him down from nearby. They were all trying to kill him, Eighteen, Seventeen, and Marron; the only decision was which ones to destroy at any given instant. 

"It figures," Kulilin muttered as he sliced another crab-like robot apart. "Things were getting just too comfortable in the last few years, something just _had_ to come along and try to kill us all again!" 

"I don't care about that," snarled Eighteen as she blasted five more of the darting bombs out of mid-air. "These damn things almost killed my baby girl! Someone's going to pay for that!" 

Kulilin nodded gravely as another crab-bot fell apart into scrap metal. If Seventeen hadn't been his usual paranoid self, and hadn't blown up the first buzzing black dart to come flying over the trees toward the cabin, without waiting to see if it was friend or foe... Kulilin didn't want to think about what could have happened. As it was, he'd shooed Marron into the cabin to hide just before it collapsed from the nearby explosions. If she was hurt... 

ZZAAAKKKKRAMMMM! 

"Whoa!" Kulilin twisted and dodged the fearsome barrage from the remaining three robots; any one beam could have killed him instantly. "Watch out, honey! These things are dangerous!" 

"I know! Fortunately, they can't hit!" Eighteen shouted. She lashed out with both hands, pulsing energy beams that skewered two of the remaining robots. "I don't know how, but they are using Sixteen's hellgun--only they don't have his speed or aim." 

"We'll see about that!" Kulilin formed another disk of ravening energy above his head, and flung it. "KI-ENZAN!" 

A wave of explosions passed above as Seventeen destroyed the last of the bomb-droids--and Kulilin's _ki-enzan_ sliced the last of the warbots in two. 

"What do you mean," he asked his beautiful blonde wife Eighteen as he settled to the ground, "they're using Sixteen's gun? Are these more of Dr. Gero's robots?" 

Eighteen said nothing as she frantically tossed aside the wreckage of Seventeen's cabin. Marron, little Marron was only human--neither android nor trained super-martial artist; all too easily hurt or killed by the forces unleashed by their battle. Kulilin and Seventeen looked at each other, then quickly joined Eighteen in her work. With the three of them at it, the task was quickly done. 

"Momma!" Marron squealed as she crawled out from under the remnants of Seventeen's heavy bunk bed and ran into her mother's arms. She was remarkably unharmed. 

"Baby!" Eighteen hugged her daughter close. "I told you I'd keep you safe," she murmured to the little girl, tears leaking from her eyes. 

"Sixteen was equipped with a six-barreled fusion cannon of exactly the same power output and appearance," Eighteen finally turned to her husband and answered. "But those robots didn't look like anything Dr. Gero had around. He always built more or less humanoid machines." 

Kulilin frowned. "Then they must be more of those alien robots Raditz rescued that Saiyan woman from. But I thought he said Vegeta destroyed them!" 

Seventeen stood amid the wreckage of his cabin, scowling. "All we know is what Raditz and Bulma told us. Bulma wasn't there, and Raditz may have missed some of them." He scowled some more. "Someone owes me a new cabin, not to mention a cooler full of beer." 

"For this, someone," snarled Eighteen, "owes me several of his vital organs. In pieces." 

Kulilin didn't try to calm his wife down; Eighteen could have the vital organs of whoever had tried to kill his wife and his little girl after Kulilin had served him up on a double _ki-enzan_ platter. 

Nothing, not even a Saiyan warrior, is as ruthless as a loving father and husband whose wife and daughter are endangered. Nothing--except the mother of that daughter. 

* * *

The explosions died down after a few moments, and Bulma wondered if it was safe to venture upstairs. A bit of dust sifted down, and Bulma crawled up to look. 

WHIRRR-CLANK! WHIRRR-CLANK! 

A silvery ovoid supported by six crab-like legs clambered over the fallen blocks. A short, thick tube was hoisted aloft on a jointed, metallic arm; it twisted and turned, pointing this way and that. 

Bulma gasped involuntarily and covered her mouth quickly; had it heard? Surely this was one of the killer robots that Raditz and Vegeta had fought! It answered the question of what Piccolo was fighting--or did it? Where was Piccolo? And what was this alien machine doing in here, in the demon-temple of Piccolo Dai-Mao? 

Zzaaakkkkrammmm! 

The distant thunder of energy weapons startled Bulma. There were more of them, and Piccolo was still fighting them--she hoped. 

CLANK-SKRITCH. 

The robot twisted, pointing toward the altar-throne, behind which Bulma was hiding. Slowly, as if uncertain, it advanced toward her hiding place, one carefully placed leg at a time. 

"Oh, crap!" she breathed, feeling her way back down the stairs. It suspected something... 

SKRITCH. SKRITCH. CLANK! 

It had found the stairs. Bulma backed up until her back was pressed against the sealed door with its mysterious glyphs, a strange rounded script out of the distant past, doubtless holding some binding incantation... Ancient sorcery and alien robots, as different as could be-- 

\--Hold it. Alien robots. Spacecraft. An ancient spacecraft whose controls were inscribed with those same rounded glyphs-- 

"Of course! Demon-King Piccolo was still a Namekian. His own writings are in Namekian! And I'll bet those other inscriptions are Namekian sayings written with Sanskrit letters!" 

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! 

The robot was coming down the stairs-- 

" _Piccolo, ovrakah_!" Bulma said to the sealed door, hoping she remembered the Namekian word for "open" correctly. Mr. Popo had been able to teach her quite a few words, enough to operate the old Namekian ship that took her and Gohan and Kulilin to Namek, but it had been _years_... 

The glyphs on the door glowed with a blue light. 

"Damn it, open now! _Ovrakah! Ovrakah!_ " The glyphs glowed blindingly bright, and a glowing blue seam appeared in the door; it parted, and the two halves of the door withdrew noiselessly into the walls, revealing darkness beyond. 

Something stirred in the darkness, something large. A horrible stench flooded out of the darkness, nauseating Bulma. 

CLANK! CLANK! 

One leg of the crab-robot came into view, sliding down and find the next lower step. 

Bulma gulped. What was the word used to activate the fire control station on the old ship? Oh yes... "For Piccolo! _Harakah!_ " she shouted, then threw herself flat against the wall. 

A mass of tentacles burst out of the darkness and whipped up the stairs to envelop the silvery robot. Behind them, a massive, soft, slimy body crushed Bulma against the wall as it slithered by. She fought a losing battle to retain her lunch at the awful stink of the thing. 

Bulma staggered into the chamber that had contained the demon. Now to hope that the demon was tougher than the robot, and that her few words of Namekian and Piccolo's name would be enough to command the monster-- 

ZZAAAKKKKRAMMMM! 

Heat and light filled the small chamber, followed by the stench of burnt stinking demon slime. Bulma would not have believed that anything could have smelled worse than the demon, but burnt demon was much, much worse. 

WHIRRR-CLANK! 

"Oh, crap." The robot was not even scratched, though shreds of burnt demon tentacles still clung to its leg joints. It raised the stubby-barreled weapon towards Bulma-- 

SSHRAKKOWWW! 

The spiralling beam of energy impaled the robot from above, smashing through its armor and gutting the machine's brain and powerplant. It collapsed with a metallic crash. 

"Eeeeeeee!" Bulma expressed her shock and relief in one long hysterical scream. Piccolo strode gracefully down the stairs. 

"That was the last one," he noted. "I lost track of it until you freed my demon." The Demon-King frowned at her. "I told you not do that. It should have killed you..." 

"It probably would have," Bulma answered, then pointed at the door with a jerk of her thumb. "If you hadn't bound your demons to obey _Namekian_ commands." 

* * *

Raditz wasted no time in wondering what was hurtling out of the sky; he'd seen the black bomb-droids too recently for that. Saiyan reflexes took over; Raditz leaped straight up, crossing his arms across his face to protect it as the bombs struck where he'd been standing an instant before-- 

W-W-W-WHAAAAMMM! 

The tremendous explosion slammed into him like a runaway freight train, sending him tumbling through the air. Barely, he regained control in time to land on crouched on one knee. Raditz looked around quickly, swearing fervently in every language he knew. 

The nine crab-legged warbots had just unfolded their legs and righted themselves. They hummed and clanked as they oriented themselves, raising stubby multi-barreled weapons to point at the long-haired Saiyan. 

So. There were more of the killer machines, after all. Perhaps Bulma had been right to worry... 

Z-Z-Z-Z-ZZAAAKKKKRAMMMM! 

Not nine, but fifty-four gouts of seething energy lashed out at Raditz, and only the habit of long years saved his life. He'd spiralled at high speed, confusing the machines' aim with his speed and twisted path even as Raditz cupped energy in his hands to launch his own attack-- 

"Rings and Moon!" Raditz jinked as two hunks of singed hair fell earthward. "Where did they get that power? If even one of them hits, I'm dead!" 

The power of the robot's weapons rivalled even that of a Super-Saiyan--but their speed did not. Nor did their defenses, Raditz realized as his beam slammed into and through one of the warbots, blowing it into twisted slag. 

This, he realized as he dodged the eight clusters of six beams that sought his life, is going to take some skill. I can't afford to get sloppy, not even for an instant. With that thought, he dove straight down, plunging into the earth at full speed-- 

The eight remaining warbots stopped as one, then started swinging their weapons from side to side, seeking a target-- 

The earth exploded beneath one of them; there was a screech of rending metal as it was yanked out of sight. The remaining seven danced about agitation, but there was no target to be detected. 

One by one, six of the remaining seven disappeared, dragged underground in the twinkling of an eye. The last robot spun in place, searching desperately for a target-- 

CLANNGGGG! Raditz burst from the ground below the robot and slammed into it, flying up into the air with it, hands glowing. As the warbot unlimbered its weapon arm, swinging it down and around to reach Raditz, he unleashed the energy seething at his fingertips. 

"MAN-KI-BATSU!" A wave of purple-white energy exploded into the warbots armored shell, burning it away like so much cobweb. The warbot exploded in a shower of melted metal and twisted black fragments. 

Raditz hung in mid-air, panting heavily. "There!" He wiped the sweat off of his face and spat onto the crumpled, cratered earth. "Weakest of the Saiyans I may be, but not that weak!" 

The long-haired Saiyan looked off into the distance. "But where did they come from? Vegeta destroyed all of the ones at the wreck..." Raditz frowned. It was a mystery, and there was a way to solve mysteries--but not by running blindly hither and yon. No. 

He clenched his fists angrily. Damn. I should leave them out of this. It's too dangerous; they're too weak... but I can't solve this alone. If it were just me.... but it's Bulma and Trunks, too. Damn. 

The big Saiyan shook himself angrily and began to run. He had no choice, no choice at all--and every death would be more blood on his deeply stained soul. 


	18. Chapter 18

Naranja sped through the sky toward Raditz's last known location. She'd stopped getting reports on his position not long before... That worried Naranja. What if her soldiers killed Raditz before she got there, before she had a chance to look in his dying eyes and gloat? She well remembered their terrible power against all but the strongest elites... 

_"Commander! This is some kind of strongpoint--the damn warbots are all over the place down here!" Sub-commander Naranja yelled into her scouter as she ducked behind an armored blast door. Plasma blasts thundered into the patch of wall she'd stood beside only an instant before; the blast door grew painfully hot to touch. The tip of her tail tucked itself under one of its loops as she crouched, waiting for the fire to die down._

_Naranja, her sergeant and one other warrior were cut off from the rest of her squad and Commander Col's company by the automated defenses of the Jinkouseian command bunker. The Saiyans had been reconnoitering a newly discovered sector of the sprawling complex when they somehow tripped an alarm--suddenly blast doors came crashing down to seal off segment after segment of corridor while hordes of massively armored, heavily armed robots emerged from the walls to attack them._

_The scouter crackled and hissed with static--too much high-energy weapon fire nearby. Naranja tuned her scouter, trying to catch Col's response; the robot's blasts finally died down to where she could hear. The hair on the back of her neck and tail bristled; the machines only stopped firing when one of their own was in the way. She snapped her head up just as the massive crab-legs of a warbot appeared in a gaping hole in the wall beside the blast door--the same hole the Saiyans had blasted earlier to bypass the sealed door._

_Behind her, Garba growled angrily and leaped to his feet, hurling a blast of ki at the intruding robot. The hulking machine was flung back; Naranja heard the clatter of its legs as it scrabbled for footing and righted itself, not seriously damaged. Garba was breathing hard; with one hand he mopped the sweat off of his forehead. The warrior was running low on energy; they'd been fighting hard for almost three hours._

_Beside him, Penjal was not in much better shape. Blood trickled down the side of the stocky, heavy-set Saiyan's face; he'd caught a glancing blow to the head that had laid his scalp open when the new warbots first attacked them. Naranja judged that he wasn't quite as exhausted as Garba, but he was close._

_"...Warbots?" Col's voice crackled and popped in her ear. "... mean heavy security droids? Surely a warrior of your experience isn't having trouble with _them_?" The static did little to hide the supercillious contempt in Lord Col's voice. _

_"No, I do NOT mean those stupid little tin targets on legs!" Naranja snarled into the scouter's audio pickup. "I mean full-grown, moon-cursed, kicking-our-asses-with-plasma-cannon-and-enough-armor-for-a-space-cruiser WARBOTS! There's something damn important down here, and if you want to find out what it is, _Commander_ , get the rest of the squad down here before I have to go ouzarou and destroy the whole place!" _

_Metal shrieked a few yards away as Garba and Penjal upended the attacking warbot and tore its legs off, using the chassis as a shield against the rest of the warbots. Plasma blasts thundered deafeningly in the narrow space as the other robots opened fire on the downed warbot and the Saiyans behind it; its armored body reflected the blasts for the moment._

_"Damn it!" Naranja shook her head angrily, her spiky, shoulder-length hair rustling against her armor; the static from the nearby plasma fire again blocked communications. "Damn that arrogant bastard!" Naranja stood up, glaring at Garba, Penjal and the attacking warbots as her fists tightened. "I have had enough of this crap!"_

_Power flowed into and through her; waves of it shook the already dusty, rubble-strewn corridor. The robotic fusillade wavered and slackened as the warbots' aim was disrupted; the deadly machines stopped firing to concentrated on stablizing themselves as their crab legs bounced and skittered across the shuddering floor. Garba and Penjal staggered and braced themselves against the fallen warbot as Naranja's power surged._

_Hot anger surged through Naranja, making her almost dizzy with the need to strike out, to destroy and burn and shatter. How dare that supercillous swine treat _her_ like some timid third-class slut recruited fresh off the Street of Whores! She, Naranja, had commanded a good squad of her own before that Kyadarmit commando put her in the tank and on medical restriction for months--how dare that egotistical lecher imply she was whining for help over a few lousy security droids! Curse the bastard, and curse that witch Kinoko for stealing the best Squad Sergeant she'd ever had, and half the squad along with him! If she'd still had Bardock, her squad would never have been wiped by those devil-cursed Kyadarmit cyborgs, and she, Commander Lady Naranja, would not have suffered the humiliation of being reduced to a mere Sub-Commander in another's squad. _

_"DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!" Naranja leaped forward and released a tremendous blast of energy from her joined hands. A wall of white fury swept the corridor, carrying the warbots before it. The hulking machines rolled, softened, crumbled and finally disintegrated in the ravening energies hurled by the elite warrior woman._

_Finally, silence reigned. Nothing moved in the blackened, blasted corridor; not a single robot remained._

_"Whoa!" A single, appreciative yell burst from Garba's lips. Penjal blinked, his eyes still dazzled with dark after-images, but a vicious smirk spread across his face._

_"Let's see what the bastards were guarding," Naranja said in cool, clipped tones. One hand went up to her scouter, adjusting the communications frequencies as she strode forward._

KRAK! 

The blow was sudden and blinding, sending Naranja plunging out of the sky and into the ground. She could only lay helpless at the bottom of a crater and watch as Vegeta dropped lightly down beside her. 

"Fool!" he hissed, brows furrowed with anger. "You did not tell me there were more robots!" 

"Prince... Vegeta," Naranja said, rising unsteadily to her feet. Her heart raced, and genuine fear showed in her pale face. "I did not know! I thought they sent only one ship after me..." She swayed on her feet. "I DIDN'T KNOW!" she screamed as Vegeta seized the front of her armor and forced her to her knees. 

"Pray," he growled, "to the ancient gods that nothing else happens that you 'didn't know' about. How many robots are there?" 

"I don't know--" Naranja broke off in a gasp as Vegeta raised one glowing hand, cold rage in his turquoise eyes. "I DON'T KNOW! They could have built a base and be making more right now! Any number of them could be hiding underground anywhere!" She shuddered as Vegeta lowered his hand. "That's why we never could defeat them--they kept building more of themselves." 

* * *

Goku's throat grew tight as he saw the billowing column of smoke ahead, where his home should be. 

"Gohan?" Yes, he could sense Gohan's ki, there in the center-- 

A rippling flicker of light heralded Goku's arrival in the midst of the smoking crafter that had been his home. There was Gohan, holding Trunks and Goten-- His gaze darted around the wreckage and alighted on two figures moving haltingly out of the woods-- 

"CHI-CHI!" Goku yelled and ran to his wife, grabbing her out of Ox-King's sheltering arms and hugging her. "Are you all right?" he said, looking her over from head to toe. 

Chi-chi's eyes brightened for a moment. "Hmmph! How can you ask such a question? My clothes are a mess, our beautiful house is gone, and those things nearly killed my babies!!" She hugged Goku back, hard as she could. 

"They're okay," Gohan said as he carried the two younger boys out of the crater to his mother. "Just a little shaken up." 

"Owww, my ears!" Trunks said a little too loudly. "Make the ringing stop!" 

"What?" asked Goten, rubbing his ears. "What did you say?" 

"Goten!" Chi-chi snatched her youngest son from Gohan's arms and hugged him. "Thank goodness!" 

"What, Mama?" asked Goten, looking puzzled. Trunks, too, was rubbing his ears and looking annoyed. 

"Hey!" he yelled. "Why is everyone so quiet?" 

Goku looked puzzled; Gohan frowned momentarily, and then comprehension dawned. "Oh! They're deaf from the blast--must have really rattled their ears. I was ready for it, but they weren't. Even my ears were ringing for a bit; it was really powerful." 

Goku frowned now. "Those robots tried to kill me and Vegeta, too." He turned a stern face toward the horizon, where he and Vegeta had again fought. "And they tried to kill you all." The anger in his face was plain to see, now. "Maybe we destroyed all of them... but maybe there are more." He turned back to Chi-chi. "It isn't safe here, and the house is wrecked. I want you and the boys to stay at Master Roshi's while I find out what caused all this." 

"Stay with that old pervert?!? A fine example he is for children!" Chi-chi protested reflexively, then looked around at the devastation and sighed. "I suppose there isn't much else to be done right now. Goku," she said wistfully, "take care of it--of us." 

Goku nodded gravely and raised two finger to his forehead. In a flicker-flash of light, they vanished. A few leaves drifted on the breeze, falling into the scorched earth of the empty crater where once a house had stood. 

* * *

That evening, when Nezumi returned home, she reflected that Lina's anger at Raditz for failing to protect Nezumi from Naranja had kept her from looking at the facts clearly--but then, Nezumi hadn't given Lina all the facts about Raditz, either, had she? Maybe she should have told Lina about Raditz's midnight visit to the hospital, and his part in her 'miraculous' recovery. It might have helped her see that Raditz was not the kind of man who could have done the terrible things he was being accused of. 

As she set her purse down on the kitchen counter, Nezumi froze. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was not right--a sound, a smell, a shadow where no shadow should be.... There was someone else in the apartment with her, and it wasn't Lina. Her hand crept toward the snub-nosed revolver she carried concealed under her jacket... 

"Glad you're here. I need your help," said Raditz. 

Nezumi looked up at the tall, powerfully-muscled warrior dominating her living room. The great mass of black hair that tumbled down his back to his knees made Raditz seem twice as large; Nezumi felt dwarfed by Raditz's size and barely-hidden power. She swallowed hard. 

"Y-you need my help?" Her voice came out in an startled squeak. Nezumi blushed; what had gotten into her? She'd worked with this man for nearly a year! 

Raditz didn't answer at first, but looked down and through her--something he often did when deep in thought, and which never failed to annoy Nezumi. It didn't fail this time, either. 

She folded her arms and cleared her throat loudly. "Before you say another word, you tell me what happened to Bulma!" 

Raditz blinked. "She is alive, well, and safe. I can't tell you where, and it's not safe for her to come home." 

"That's... interesting." Nezumi looked up at Raditz, put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side. "What's going on, Raditz? It's got something to do with that Naranja woman, doesn't it?" 

Raditz frowned slightly. "Yes," he said reluctantly. 

"Well?" Nezumi's eyebrows furrowed with exasperation. "Out with it!" 

Raditz sighed and began to pace the tiny living room. This resulted in him taking two steps, turning around, and taking two steps back; after one pass, he gave it up. 

Nezumi folded her arms again, and drummed fingertips against her arm impatiently. 

"Naranja wants Bulma and I dead, and she did her best to make sure Vegeta killed me--by framing me, convincing Vegeta that I..." Raditz hesitated, glancing at Nezumi. 

"That you raped and kidnapped Bulma?" Nezumi glared up at him. "That's the rumor, you know!" 

Raditz sighed, and looked curiously relieved. "Good--" 

"GOOD! What is 'good' about that??" Nezumi all but shrieked. 

"If Vegeta believes that, he won't kill Bulma and Trunks," Raditz answered abruptly. "Just me." 

"Why would he kill--oh." Nezumi laid two fingers to her lips, which stood out against her suddenly pale face. "He was supposed to think you and Bulma were having an affair? How in the heck did Naranja pull that off?" 

Raditz stared at the floor, his cheeks reddening. "Vegeta was supposed to find us, ah, in a compromising position. He almost did, too." 

Nezumi grasped his meaning immediately. "In bed together?" She sat down in the nearest chair. "I think you better sit down right there and explain what happened, from beginning to end." 

Raditz did that, omitting any mention of his own passion for Bulma. "...I had no choice; I had to stash Bulma somewhere safe, and no, I'm not telling even you where she is. What you don't know--" 

"--I can't spill; yes, Raditz, I can figure that much out myself." Nezumi scowled at Raditz. "What I can't figure out is you, Raditz." 

Raditz raised one dark eyebrow. "Huh?" 

It was Nezumi's turn to pace. She turned her back on Raditz as she paced into the kitchen. "I guess it means a lot to you that she's your kind. I can't blame you for being attracted to Naranja--" 

Raditz looked at her oddly. "Attracted?? I despise the woman!" 

"Hmmph! I didn't know that men had a habit of jumping into bed with women they despised, but any port in a storm, I suppose!" Nezumi said bitterly. 

"I told you, Vegeta _ordered_ me to--" 

"He ordered you to marry the woman, according to you--not that you argued very much. I don't think he ordered you to take her to bed that very night, or do Saiyan betrothals include a try-out session?" snapped Nezumi. 

Raditz turned very red. "That was her idea! And..." 

"And you just went along with it--you said that yourself! I'm missing something here, and I think it's honesty and sense on your part!" Nezumi nearly shouted, her small fists clenched at her side. 

Raditz stared at her, shocked and slightly angry. "What the hell? Woman, you are making no sense yourself! Who I take to bed and why is my affair; I'd almost think you're jeal--" Raditz stopped in mid-word and stared at Nezumi. A very Saiyan smirk began to spread across his face. "You _are_ jealous!" 

Nezumi folded her arms indignantly. "Jealous? Why should I be jealous of a big lout who can't take the simplest hints, and who throws himself at the most obnoxious woman he can find? I would be a fool to be _jealous_ of a complete idiot!" Bitter tears pooled in her eyes; she looked away, trying to hide them. 

Raditz stood up to his full height, his spiky hair pushing against the ceiling. "Zumi! I obeyed Vegeta because I could think of no other way to tame the monster--and Naranja is a monster, trust me on that. I thought perhaps I could teach her to see things as I saw them, while keeping her from doing harm. It was a foolish, futile thought." He looked at Nezumi with an odd, gentle smile. "You're not a fool; don't ever think that." 

Nezumi brushed a hand across her eyes. "You're still not telling the whole story, Raditz. Even I've noticed that you... find Bulma attractive." 

Raditz blushed and looked away. "Does everyone in the city know?" he muttered. "Has it been that obvious?" he asked Nezumi. His tail uncoiled and lashed in agitation. 

Nezumi folded her arms and looked at Raditz. "Do you know just how much your tail reveals about you?" 

Raditz's tail froze in mid-twitch, and then quickly coiled around his waist. "Oh." 

Nezumi smiled then. "You're like a big cat; your tail announces your mood to everyone in sight. Even when you coil it that means something, I've noticed." 

Raditz turned very red and he muttered something Nezumi couldn't hear. 

"I hope that wasn't something rude," she said warningly. 

Raditz smiled wryly. "No, I just remembered why Vegeta and Nappa always kept their tails coiled. Especially--" He stopped talking. 

"What?" Nezumi looked at him suspiciously. 

He shook his head. "Never mind, it's a bit... crude. But what I really came for was help in figuring out what Naranja did, and proving it." Raditz sighed and sat down again. "I can't investigate here while running for my life, and until I can convince Vegeta of the truth, Bulma and Trunks are in danger." He frowned, slightly puzzled. "I can't figure where the robots fit in, though." 

"Robots? You mean the ones that you rescued Naranja from?" Nezumi seemed puzzled. 

"No--well, yes. Not that original lot, but the new ones that attacked me when I was running from Vegeta." 

Nezumi's eyes widened. "There's more?" 

"Yes. They looked like the first ones, but had heavier weapons." Raditz started trying to pace again. "Either Vegeta missed some of the robots from the alien ship, or there was another ship with more robots. Or something." 

"Vegeta obliterated every one of the things out in the open." Raditz scowled. "Still, I don't like it. The robot's ship could have had more robots stashed in a hold, more weapons, could have called for help, who knows what else. We didn't investigate it." 

"Hmmm... Well, what do you know about them?" she asked. 

"Only what Naranja told us." Raditz quickly relayed Naranja's account of her stranding and survival on Jinkousei. Nezumi grew steadily more pale as he progressed. 

"Raditz," Nezumi's voice was suddenly strained. "Those robots can build ships--and they know the way to Earth. They can obviously repair themselves, and, worse yet, there's a chance they can _build_ themselves!" She glanced at him sidelong. "Why were your people attacking this world? I notice you carefully avoided mentioning that." 

Raditz's tail coiled tighter yet, and his hands flexed. He stared at the floor, not meeting Nezumi's gaze. "It's what we did. We were a warrior race--fighting is in our blood and little else matters to us. I suppose that was the original excuse, better to fight strangers for profit than slaughter each other--if we even needed an excuse. The Saiyan kings originally hired out their elite warriors as mercenaries to any world that would pay and guarantee fighting... but things changed. A new power moved in, and changed the game. 

"It used to be that squabbling worlds hired mercenaries to settle trade disputes and establish claims to disputed resource worlds or colonies, but there were no real wars of conquest--too expensive to subdue and occupy an entire inhabited world. King Cold changed all that; he expanded his empire by simply exterminating all the inhabitants of worlds he wanted and moving in. Inhabitants that were useful to him got offered the chance to live as his slaves instead of being slaughtered. Powerful warrior races like the Saiyans were offered the 'opportunity' of fighting for Cold as slave-mercenaries. Mercenaries, for we got paid, but slaves--we dared not refuse to fight--as if any Saiyan would!--or go to work for another ruler. 

"Cold's son and heir, Frieza, added a new wrinkle to the game; once the Cold Empire had dominated or exterminated all the worlds it could control, they developed the business of exterminating the populations of weak but desireable worlds and selling the now-uninhabited worlds off as virgin colony planets." Raditz sighed. "We Saiyans were Frieza's toughest mercenaries, with few exceptions, and we didn't balk at any job, no matter how tough or bloody. We were the big guns that Frieza sent in when his regular troops couldn't do the job." 

"That's what I did for thirty years: murdered worlds full of innocent people." Raditz sat and looked down at his hands for a long time. 

Nezumi looked at the long-haired warrior for a long moment before she spoke. Moistening dry lips, she said, "You were a soldier, Raditz. Soldiers kill people and sometimes do terrible things in wars." 

"It's not that simple," Raditz answered. "We Saiyans saw all other races as vermin--animals to be eradicated if they got in our way, or if there was a bounty on them. It wasn't terrible to us that we butchered them by the billions; it was just work, and often boring work at that." 

Nezumi grew paler still. " 'Vermin'... that's what Naranja called me just before she hit me!" 

Raditz looked at her, brows slightly lowered. "Yes," he growled. "Naranja is very Saiyan that way. And worse... I said it was often boring work--because our victims were too weak to give us a decent fight. We love nothing more than a good fight--the lust for battle is as powerful in us as plain old lust is in humans--and often that lust for battle becomes a lust for killing. Naranja is one of those who likes to kill." 

"Are you one of them?" Nezumi looked intently at Raditz, her face pale and expressionless. 

Raditz shook his head slowly. "No, I never really enjoyed killing. A good fight, yes--but nothing more. That makes me no less guilty." 

Nezumi backed up and edged around a nearby chair, putting it between her and Raditz. "You never told me any of this!" she accused. 

Raditz sighed. "I tried to warn you, girl. I tried to tell you what I was, but you thought too well of me, and wouldn't listen." 

"What? When was this?" Nezumi demanded, puzzled and angry. 

"Back when the demons snatched the kids--right before we went into Hell after them." 

"Oh. That." Nezumi frowned, her lips pouting slightly. "I thought you meant-- I didn't think you-- oh." 

"I told you then you didn't know what I was. Now you do." Raditz's voice was flat, his face impassive. "I was a mass murderer on a scale that makes your history's worst butchers no more than children playing at toy soldiers." He frowned, looking down at his hands again, and said, half to himself, "This was not the time to tell you this. I need your help to save Trunks and Bulma, and I do not think you will help me now." 

Nezumi gripped the back of the chair to keep from falling; she was white and shaking. "Raditz... I have to... think about this, and I can't think straight with you sitting there and telling me things like that. You can't stay; not now." Nezumi struggled to keep the sickness and anger and fear out of her voice. 

Raditz clenched his fists tightly and stared intently at the floor. You stupid fool! Raditz thought to himself. You had to blurt it out and disillusion the one person besides Goten who still believed in you! 

"That's part of my problem," Raditz said so softly Nezumi had to strain to hear him. "I've run so long and hard I've very little strength left, and I have no place to go. I have to hide my ki among humans, or he'll find me, and you've very efficiently gotten the police looking for me, too--so I must hide from humans, too. You're the only one I trust who can get in and out of Capsule Corp and whose ki he doesn't know..." 


	19. Chapter 19

At Muten-Roshi's house, Chi-chi was unhappy, and when Chi-chi was unhappy, everyone else was, too--including Trunks and Goten. Not only was his mother angry, but Goten's house was gone--his bed, his toys, everything he'd thought of as 'his' during his short life. Only his family and friend remained. Perhaps he should have been glad of that, but Goten was not used to loss, and did not yet know to count the blessings that remained. 

"Daddy! Why did they blow up our house?!?" Goten wailed in shock and dismay. "I don' wanna stay here! I want my house back! And you forgot Perejil! The bad robots will get him!" 

Chi-chi, who had been saying much the same thing in her own way, turned abruptly at that. "And just who is Perejil?" she asked, forgetting that Goten was still deaf from the blast. 

Goten looked at her, puzzled, and rubbed his ears. "What did you say, Momma?" 

"Never mind," Chi-chi said, exasperated. "Muten-Roshi, you useless old pervert! Do you have any senzu beans around?" 

Muten-Roshi shook his head. "Afraid not. He's only a little bit deaf; he'll get over it in a few hours." 

A few hours later, Goten was towing a disconsolate Trunks by one hand and showing him the wonders of the beach--water, waves, sand, seashells, crabs, seagulls, the big turtle--when his hearing returned. "I can hear the gulls, I can hear the gulls!" Goten said, dancing from one foot to the other. 

"Big deal, I've heard them for an hour now," Trunks grumped. 

Goten stopped dancing and looked serious. "Do you think the robots blew up your house, too?" 

Trunks sat down on the big turtle. "I don't know. I don't know what happened to Momma, and Father is gone, that mean Saiyan lady is saying nasty things about Momma and acting all scary, and your house got blown up, and it's all just a big mess." His shoulders slumped. 

Goten sat down beside Trunks and looked thoughtful. "Do you think the robots that blowed up my house are the killer robots that your dad blew up, only some of them got away? And maybe they're mad and trying to get revenge?" The little boy's eyes were wide. 

"Dad wouldn't have let any get away," Trunks said confidently. "There must be more of the alien robots since then--maybe it's an invasion!" Trunks started, as if alarmed by the sound of his own voice. 

"But if it's an invasion, who's in charge?" Goten asked. 

Trunks pondered. Everyone knew that to have an invasion, you had to have a bad guy in charge ordering the invasion. "Probably that alien commander--you know, the one whose cabin we found." 

"I thought you said your dad wouldn't have let any get away." Goten pointed out. 

"He wouldn't have let any _robots_ get away--but the commander is probably smarter than the robots, and maybe has special powers. Maybe he can change his shape and appear to be anything--like grass, or a burnt-up robot or this turtle here..." Trunks smirked as Goten jumped up and backed away, looking at the old turtle suspiciously. The turtle looked back at Goten quizzically. 

"Or, maybe he can just turn himself invisible," Trunks concluded, stretching out over the spot Goten had vacated. 

Goten looked thoughtful. "I bet Perejil knows where the commander is! He came from the wreck," Goten said incorrectly, "and he's scared of the robots, and he's been trying to tell me something really important! I bet that's it!" 

"So what? You still can't understand him; you said so yourself," Trunks said, frowning. 

Goten furrowed his brow, thinking furiously. "Uncle Raditz might know what he's saying; he's been a ghost and he's a Saiyan, too!" 

"Well, so would my dad, then!" Trunks lifted his chin, a spark of familial pride flashing in his eyes. 

"Your dad isn't here," Goten pointed out. 

"And neither is Raditz," Trunks answered. 

Goten jumped up and down, excited. "But I know where Uncle Raditz is! I can find him!" 

"Yeah, well I can..." Trunks' voice trailed off as he realized that he did not know where his father was, and had no way to find him. "I don't believe you! You're just making that up!" 

"Am not! He's over that way, a long, long ways away. An' he's really tired." Goten pointed northwest, back toward home. 

Trunks shrugged. "It's not like we can do anything about it, anyway," he said disconsolately. "He's hiding from my dad, and won't come here." 

Goten crossed his arms and looked stubborn. "Then we have to go to Uncle Raditz, and take him a message or something." 

Trunks frowned. "Um, Goten, how far away is Raditz?" 

It was Goten's turn to frown. "A long way away." 

"Further than my house to your house?" 

Goten nodded. 

"Further than the wrecked spaceship was?" 

"Way further than that," Goten said, looking worried now. 

Trunks slumped. "How are we supposed to go that far? I don't think your mom will take us, and I can't fly that far!" 

Goten shook his head. "We can't tell her; she thinks Uncle Raditz is bad and won't let me see him!" His eyes were big and filling with tears of frustration. 

Trunks chewed on his upper lip, thinking. "How 'bout Gohan? I bet he can fly anywhere!" 

Goten thought a moment and shook his head. "He won't do anything mom says not to, and he'll stop us, too." His face brightened. "I know who might help us!" 

Trunks looked skeptical. "Who? Your Grandpa? He can't even fly!" 

Goten shook his head. "Not Grandpa--Dad! Daddy can see Perejil, too. I know he's tried to talk to him, but Perejil is too scared of grownups. An' he doesn't always do what Mom says." 

Trunks still looked skeptical. "Do you think he'll believe us?" 

Goten nodded vigorously. "Yep. Daddy always listens to me, and sometimes he tells me about his adventures when he was a little kid!" Goten sounded slightly awed. "He did some really neat things!" 

* * *

Alas, Goku was not so easily moved as Goten had hoped. He listened solemnly and thought about it for a bit, then shook his head. 

"No, I can't take you back to the house, or to Uncle Raditz," he said. "I promised Chi-chi I'd protect us all, and I can't do that if I take you back where the robots are." Goku looked slightly unhappy. "I wish Perejil could come here, and that I could understand what he was saying. I think you are right, Goten, it probably is important, and if I could get Perejil to follow me... but I can't go to Raditz, either." Goku sighed. "Maybe I can talk some sense into Vegeta..." With that, he put two fingers to his forehead and vanished in a flicker-flash of light. 

Now it was Goten's turn to be disconsolate. "I was sure Daddy would help!" 

"Told ya," Trunks retorted gloomily. He stared at his shoes. "What do we do now?" 

"Don't give up so easily," cut in an oddly cheerful Muten-roshi. The old man tugged a bit at his beard as the kids jumped and turned to face him. "I heard what you told Goku, and I just might be able to help you out." 

"Really?" Goten said. 

"Really," Muten-roshi answered. "Goku thinks what you've said is important, but he's real worried about protecting you two and your mother. I think you two are young, and maybe kind of impetuous, but with the kind of power you've got, you've got to learn early to understand what's right and wrong, and when you should act or not. Now, I'm not going to tell you what you should do here-- that's your responsibility-- but I will show you something. Follow me." 

They all tiptoed behind the house; Muten-roshi whistled strangely, and called out, "KIN-TOU'EN!" And lo! A small, shining golden cloud appeared and hovered about waist-high before him. 

"This is Kin-tou'en, Goten. He's a magic cloud, and anyone who is pure of heart can ride on him and Kin-tou'en will take you wherever you ask it to go. Your daddy, and your big brother Gohan have both ridden Kin-tou'en, and I expect the both of you can, too. All you have to do is call him by name, once he knows you, and he'll come." 

Goten's eyes were wide. "Wow!" 

"Cool!" said Trunks. 

Goten looked up at Muten-roshi. "Can you ride him?" 

"Ah, er, I'm a bit old, and dampness bothers my rheumatism," Muten-roshi hemmed and hawed. "Kin-tou'en is more for younger folks than me." He retreated hurriedly, leaving the two boys looking at each other. 

"You think we should?" Goten asked. 

"You first," Trunks said. 

"But you're bigger. You always go first," Goten answered. 

"It's your turn. I shouldn't be first all the time. Besides, it's been in your family, you should ride it," Trunks answered. 

Goten nodded, and hopped up onto the cloud. It swayed, but he stood on it, wobbling slightly, then clambered to the 'front' and sat down. "It's like walking on a big air bag," Goten said happily. "Try it!" 

Trunks grinned and made a running jump square on top of the cloud. Kin-tou'en swayed, and seemed to squeak in protest, but Trunks kept his feet on top of the tiny cloud. "Hehehe," he laughed, "this is fun!" 

"Sit down so we can go somewhere," Goten said. 

"Oh, all right." Trunks sat down behind Goten. "Let's go!" 

With that, the golden cloud bearing the two boys darted off across the ocean, heading northwest. 

* * *

_You're the only one I trust..._

The words echoed in Nezumi's head as she stared up at Raditz. Her fists were clenched, and she swallowed hard before saying, in barely more than a whisper, "Y-you can't stay here--" 

BING-BONG! The doorbell rang loudly, drowning out Nezumi's soft voice. 

Nezumi jumped; Raditz's head snapped around and he glared at the closed door. He slipped into a crouch, ready to fight. 

Nezumi darted to the door and peered through the peephole. 

"Oh my God, it's my mother! What is she doing here??" Nezumi said, her voice high with panic. 

The big Saiyan frowned; a memory tickled at his mind, nibbled, got firm hold. "I think... Lina called her when you got hurt." 

"Well, I can't just leave her standing out there, and she can't see you! I'd never be able to explain it to her. Hide, quick!" 

"Where?" Raditz looked around the tiny, two-bedroom apartment. 

"In my room! It's already a mess, just close the door and duck in the closet if she looks in. Hurry!" Nezumi waved her hand around frantically. 

Raditz nodded and slipped into the tiny bedroom, closing the door softly behind him. A sea of fluffy pastel greeted him: bed, comforter, and piles of stuffed animals and small pillows. He quickly opened the closet door and looked in--a stack of boxes and an overfull rack of clothes completely filled the tiny closet. There was definitely no room to hide in there. Where to hide? 

Out in the small living room/dining room, Nezumi opened the door. "Hi, Mom! This is quite a surprise!" 

"Maureen!" Mrs. O'Neill, a slightly overweight woman in her late fifties, holding a small suitcase, stared at her daughter in shock. "But I thought--They told me you were in the hospital and might die! I flew half way around the world to get here--what is going on?" 

"Um. Oh. Ah, I did have a bad accident, and I was in the hospital, but I, um, got better. It was an amazing recovery, the doctors said," Nezumi said brightly. 

Mrs. O'Neill clomped into the tiny parlor and dropped her suitcase beside the sofa. "I don't understand--the lady from your work, Miss Lina, said you were very badly hurt and might not survive. People don't go from near death to back to work in just a few days, Maureen! I can't believe someone would lie to me about something like that, but you certainly aren't nearly dead. Do you know how hard it was to get airline tickets at the last minute like that? As it was, I couldn't get a connecting flight for two days, and I was frantic--just frantic--thinking that you might have died in some foreign hospital! I spent all my vacation money because I thought my little girl was dying, and here you are just fine, carrying on like nothing is wrong!" 

"Um, well, um, now that you're here, why don't you stay and visit?" Nezumi found herself saying. "Our apartment is really small, just enough room for Lina and me, but there's a nice hotel just down the street..." she babbled. 

"Your sofa is good enough for me," Mrs. O'Neill said, patting the named article of furniture as she sat down on it. She pulled a bobby pin loose from her faded brown hair and fussed with the loose strand. "I'm so tired from the trip, I could just drop off right now sitting here. I'll just borrow one of those pillows of yours, and if you have a spare blanket?" 

"Of course! I'll get one right away!" Nezumi said, pressing herself up against her bedroom door. "The bathroom is that door there, and that's Lina's room, and please don't look in my room--it is such a MESS!" 

Mrs. O'Neill gave her daughter a slightly reproving look. "I would have thought that you'd have grown out of messy rooms by now." She sighed. "Very well, I promise I won't peek--it always did embarass you so. But when you get it cleaned up, I'd like to see it--you and Lina have a nice cozy little place here." She looked at the tiny kitchen. "I see you keep the kitchen cleaned up." 

"Yes, Momma. Let me get your pillow and blanket now," Nezumi said, slipping into her bedroom and pulling the door shut after her. Now, where was Raditz? She glanced around the small bedroom at the disorder. Hmmm... she didn't remember her bed being quite _that_ lumpy! 

Nezumi lifted the blanket and peered under it; Raditz had burrowed under all the stuffed animals and pillows and fallen quite soundly asleep, using Mr. Muggins for a pillow. Nezumi sighed; there was no way she could retrieve her favorite bear without waking Raditz. At least he wasn't snoring. She shrugged and picked out one pillow, then piled the pillows and stuffed bears, unicorns, whales, lambs, kittens and puppies back over the sleeping Saiyan and threw a bedspread over the whole mess. A spare comforter came out of the back of her closet, and Nezumi slipped out as carefully as she'd entered. 

"Here you are, Momma," she said as she handed Mrs. O'Neill the comforter and pillow. "You just take a nap and rest from the trip, and I'll fix something for dinner later on." 

"That would be nice, dear. I'm so tired--" Mrs. O'Neill yawned as she stretched out on the sofa, "I don't think I would enjoy dinner out very much... although I'm sure you have some nice restaurants around here." 

As Mrs. O'Neill pulled the comforter over her, Nezumi started to panic. What had possessed her to say that? If she cooked dinner, the smell of it would certainly wake Raditz up, and if he came out looking for food while Momma was there-- 

But she couldn't just throw her mother out and tell her to fend for herself. Nezumi got up and paced. And where was she to sleep? Lina would be home in a few hours when her shift ended, and ready to fall into her own bed. Momma had the couch, and-- Worse yet, what if Momma talked to Lina and mentioned Nezumi's messy room? Nezumi really _had_ outgrown messy rooms--Lina would know something was wrong if Nezumi didn't want to show her room to her mother. 

Just in time Nezumi caught herself starting to chew on her nails. This is driving me crazy! To divert her attention, she walked over to the small kitchen and flung open the refrigerator door. Her heart sank. There was nothing but a few leftovers, and it was Nezumi's turn to buy the groceries... but she didn't dare leave the house. Not with both Raditz and her mother asleep. 

What should she do? 

* * *

Hours later, Bulma finished sorting through the piles of robot scraps  
that Piccolo had brought in. She wiped the perspiration from her face  
and tugged on the ends of her tied-back hair in exasperation, then  
turned to look up at the tall, green, demonic alien.

"Piccolo, I need to go home. I can't properly analyze these things with no more tools than a thousand-year-old hairpin! I need my toolset and hand comp at the very least, and I'd rather have my lab." 

"No." Piccolo folded his arms and looked sternly down at Bulma. "Raditz's reasoning was sound; it is not safe for you to go home yet." 

"Hmmph! He's wrong about Vegeta--Vegeta would believe me!" Bulma folded her arms and glared back at Piccolo. "And," Bulma pointed at Piccolo, "you don't owe any obedience to Vegeta--if that Naranja woman gets in our way, just kill her!" 

"And if you are wrong?" 

"I'll take that risk!" Bulma snapped. 

"Will you risk Trunks?" 

Bulma gritted her teeth to keep herself from screaming at the green alien. "If he's in any danger from Vegeta--which I don't believe for a minute!--he's in even bigger danger from Naranja! That's another reason for us to go back--to rescue Trunks!" 

Piccolo shrugged slightly. "Trunks is safe enough; your mother sent him to stay with Chi-chi and Goku. Neither Goku nor Gohan will let that Saiyan hurt Trunks!" 

Bulma's eyes widened; she folded her arms and looked up at Piccolo triumphantly. "They won't let Vegeta hurt Trunks, either! I'm the only one taking any risks in going back home, and I tell you, Raditz is wrong about Vegeta! He'll believe me!" 

Piccolo grimaced, baring ivory fangs. "No. I promised Raditz I'd keep you safe." 

* * *

Countless light-years away, Zana crouched on a broad branch. Above her the rainforest giant soared for hundreds of feet. Below her a well-trodden game trail wound between the trees; if she was lucky, a young spike-buffalo or even a burhaut might come along. 

Hunting instilled patience in the young Saiyan girl; if she did not hold absolutely still, if she did not wait for prey to come along, she did not eat. Zana knew what happened when she didn't eat; she grew weak, and her belly hurt. And she was a Saiyan--she must not let herself be weak! 

She'd gotten weak, waiting for Perejil to come back. Zana had hunted too hard and too often around the dead colony, until all the large animals were gone, and she'd spent all the rest of her strength fleeing the robots. She'd lost the deadly machines deep in the jungle and slept in a cluster of _caakey_ trees for days, regaining her strength slowly by eating the ripe, red fruit. Now she hunted far away from the ruined colony, though sometimes--like now--she looked out over the trees toward the gap in the jungle where it was. Not very often; Zana didn't like the queer ache in her chest when she looked that way and thought of Perejil. 

He wasn't coming back. He couldn't come back. The robots had built and built there, until it looked like a robot town, all clanking and hissing. If Peree came back... Zana hugged herself, shivering. Her mind shied away from the possibility, just as she shied away from the Bad Place, the place where her house had been, where her mother and father... 

Zana watched the trail, intently, focusing on every whisper of sound and breath of air. 


	20. Chapter 20

Bulma paced. And paced some more, her footsteps naturally falling into the hollowed patterns worn in the ancient stone floor of the ruined temple. Raditz and Piccolo had contrived to strand her hundreds of miles from anywhere, with no phone, no capsules, no nothing but a set of borrowed clothes. Damn it! If she knew where she was, where civilization was, she'd just walk out of here and to hell with Piccolo and Raditz both! 

Stupid, over-protective men! Thinking they knew her husband, her lover, better than she herself did--especially in something like this! Vegeta had plumbed the depths of Hell to return to her, trusting in Bulma's faith completely--and she knew it. If she had not turned to Raditz in the depths of her grief and loneliness, when she desperately wanted and needed comfort--and he'd been all too ready to give it--why in the HELL would she have done so once Vegeta had returned? 

But the longer they kept her from Vegeta, the longer doubt would have to start gnawing at Vegeta's heart. With that thought, Bulma began to climb up the cracked and rubble-strewn black stone stairs leading to the temple spires. 

* * *

Seething with rage at her humiliation by Vegeta, Naranja hurtled back to her temporary refuge at Capsule Corporation--and stopped short, stunned. The damaged manor house was completely repaired! It gleamed like new, without a single crack or soot-mark. Naranja glared at it suspiciously, then pounced on the nearest of the human vermin she could find. 

"You, there!" the perpetually angry Saiyan snapped at the dark-haired woman walking across the tarmac, making notes on her handcomp. "What happened to my house?" 

Lina smiled and blinked at Naranja. "We replaced it with a brand-new one, ma'am, compliments of Capsule Corporation. It wouldn't do for an honored guest of Prince Vegeta's to be housed in a ruin, now." Only someone who knew Lina well could have guessed how false the smile on Lina's face was, or caught the very slight hesitation as she called Naranja an 'honored guest'. 

The dark-haired Saiyan glared suspiciously at Lina; her hands twitched as if contemplating violence. Finally she spoke. "Hmmmph! At least some of you have decent manners!" Naranja snarled, and walked off, into her 'new' house. 

Lina forced her breathing to steady, and continued on her patrol, checking the readings on her handcomp. Unobtrusively, she tapped on a single button, activating a series of remote commands in Capsule Corporation's main security monitor. The security systems in this new manor house were turned on, in passive mode, with full monitoring from Main Security. 

* * *

"DAMN YOU, VEGETA!" Naranja raged in the privacy of her own house. "DAMN YOU TO THE FARTHEST ICE HELLS OF THE FORGOTTEN RINGS!" 

"I want him dead," Naranja snarled through gritted teeth, "I want him dead now! Is that weapon ready yet?" 

_Still analyzing engagement data to establish parameters._

"Bah! The weaponry I provided should have been more than sufficient, even for the Super-Saiyan! Why didn't he die!" 

_Unit weaponry was insufficient. Super-Saiyan energy output exceeds all estimates. Re-calibration required._

"What of Raditz? I was on my way to the site when Vegeta interfered!" 

_Target deactivated units and evaded further detection. Target still active._

"WHAT?!?" screamed Naranja. "Raditz is still alive? That weaponry should have broken him! He should have been helpless after the first shot! How could you fail me?" 

_Units insufficiently maneuvable. Target maneuver parameters exceeds unit performance parameters._

"He _dodged_ you! Useless stinking machines! If you cannot even _hit_ Raditz, how are you going to kill Vegeta?!?" Naranja screamed. 

_Limpet has sufficient maneuverability at short range._

Limpet? Naranja thought. Yes... that would do the job--if they were powerful enough. 

_Modifications required include increased energy output using supplied technology._

And, Naranja mused, one hand tugging at her chin, Vegeta must be prevented from fleeing before it is too late. 

* * *

Lina sat back in her chair, shaking. Her hands trembled as she quickly keyed in the commands to copy the video records from Naranja's manor. Whether or not Nezumi was right that Bulma's disappearance was Naranja's fault rather than Raditz's, Naranja was guilty of _something_. 

Who was she talking to? Lina frowned; at first, she'd thought that Naranja was raving to herself, but then came her questions... apparently answered. 

_He _dodged_ you! Useless stinking machines! If you cannot even _hit_ Raditz, how are you going to kill Vegeta?!?" _

So, Naranja wanted both Raditz and Vegeta dead. Nezumi might have something, at that. If Naranja had somehow framed Raditz, it would have provoked an attack by Vegeta... an attack that could well have left both men dead and half the city in ruins. Not that innocent lives lost would have bothered Naranja, Lina judged. Or had she played some variant of the badger game, trying to blackmail Raditz into doing something he balked at, causing the scheme to backfire disasterously? 

Lina shook her head distractedly. Too many possibilities, not enough evidence. Her computer beeped; the copy was done. Lina grabbed the disk out of the writer and tucked it in her purse, next to the single-capsule carrying case labeled 'Manor House, Model 370'. Nezumi might have some ideas after taking a look... 

* * *

Vegeta stood on a mountain top, scowling at the world below him. Fury tore through him, begging for an outlet in pure, hellish violence--but he had no target. Raditz, the traitor, had eluded him, thanks to Kakarott's interference; more of Naranja's mysterious robot enemies had appeared and _dared_ to attack him, but Vegeta could find no trace of them-- A flicker-flash of light and Kakarott stood in front of him, black-haired and serious. "Vegeta, we need to talk--" 

KRAK-THUD! 

The sudden blow sent Goku hurtling through the air until he flipped and landed lightly on his toes. "Vegeta! I didn't come here to fight!" 

Kakarott had not kidnapped Bulma, nor had the fool sent robots to attack him--but he would do for now. The rage and fury roiling in Vegeta boiled to the surface as he screamed, his hair blazing golden. 

"THEN DIE ON YOUR KNEES, KAKAROTT!" Vegeta howled, and struck savagely at the black-haired warrior. 

Goku dodged, his hair flaming golden in that instant. "What do I have to do, beat some sense into you?" Goku shouted as he fell into fighting pose. 

Vegeta did not answer, but dove savagely on Goku, hurling bolts of ki with both hands. Goku dodged, and dodged again, and the fight was on. 

* * *

Nezumi nearly jumped out of her chair at the long-ancipated sound of Lina's key turning in the lock. She bit back a yelp of surprise--Geez, she'd gotten tense!--and hurried to open the door for Lina. 

Lina looked surprised to find Nezumi opening the door for her, and started to say something. Nezumi shushed her. 

"Shhh! My _mom_ is here, and she's asleep on the couch! Don't wake her up!" Nezumi whispered. 

"Your mom?" Lina whispered back, and smacked her forehead lightly. "Oh, that's right, I did call her when Naranja put you in the hospital! I clean forgot to tell you--" 

"That's right, and she's been worried sick this whole time thinking I was dying!" The smaller, brown-haired girl put her hands on her hips and glared at her roommate. "I couldn't even go out to get groceries, 'cause she'd probably panic if she woke up to find herself alone with a complete stranger." 

"You didn't get groceries?" Lina whispered a bit more loudly. "I suppose I have to go out and get them? Why don't we just get take-out tonight?" 

"Umm, I guess that would work. Can you go pick it up? Hamburgers or fried chicken maybe? Mom's not big on Chinese food." Nezumi found herself rambling again. "Yeah, that'll do it--get a couple of big buckets of fried chicken, some cokes, and we can just pig out here." 

"A couple of buckets??" Lina whispered incredulously. "You not eat this week? Or does your mother have that big an appetite?" 

"Well, I am hungry, and I'd rather we have some leftovers than run short," Nezumi said, crossing her fingers behind her back. 

"Oh, all right," Lina said, turning to go out the door again. "Wait-- I almost forgot," she said as she fumbled in her purse. "I replaced the manor house that Naranja was in with a new one and hooked up the security monitors--take a look at this disk when you get a chance. She is seriously guilty of _something_ , that's for sure! And," Lina dug in her purse some more and came up with the capsule carrying case, "here's the original manor house. I figure we can take it some place out of the way and go over it with a forensics kit. There just might be some evidence of what really happened--if Vegeta didn't accidently destroy it all." 

"Wow! Lina, you're a wonder! I'm sorry I got mad at you--now, go get that fried chicken! Mom will be really hungry when she wakes up!" Nezumi held the door for her roommate. 

"Uh-huh." Lina turned to leave, and glanced back over her shoulder at Nezumi. Nezumi was acting a bit odd, Lina thought, but unexpected parental visits can do that. 

* * *

"Okay," Trunks said, "we stopped at your house. I can't see Perejil; maybe he isn't here," Trunks said hopefully to Goten. 

The two boys stood on the edge of the blackened crater that marked the former site of the Son house. Kin-Tou'en hovered nearby, murmuring like the wind. 

"He's here," Goten said happily, waving his arms around and pointing at nothing obvious and then the golden cloud. "We can go find Uncle Rad'tz now!" 

"Uh, okay." Trunks responded, sounding less enthusiastic every minute. He decided not to ask if the ghost boy was riding on the cloud with them, because Goten might say 'yes'. 

* * *

Buried under Nezumi's amazing pile of plush animals, Raditz slept the sleep of the exhausted... until the scent of hot, fried chicken tickled his nose. His eyes snapped open and he listened carefully. Three people out there, Lina, Nezumi, and someone he didn't know. Smelled and sounded female, though. And the smell of food! The big Saiyan trembled with eagerness, fighting the urge to rush out and pounce on the source of the delicious smell! 

Raditz froze at the sound of the doorknob turning. Would he be discovered? Had Nezumi decided to order him out? What if she did? He didn't want that, for some reason. 

It was Nezumi; Raditz knew the sound of her heartbeat, the smell of her breath. She slipped in quietly, and closed the door behind her. 

"Raditz, you awake?" she whispered loudly. 

"Very much so," the long-haired Saiyan growled softly as he sat up, sending plush animals tumbling every which way. 

Nezumi blinked at the avalanche of stuffed toys and pillows, and held out a bulging, grease-stained bag. "Here. I managed to sneak a bunch of chicken out of the bucket." She giggled. "I couldn't take the whole bucket, they would have noticed." 

Raditz blinked in his turn, and slowly smirked. "Heh. I supposed they would have." He took the bag from Nezumi's hand and tore it open, ravenous at the delicious scent oozing from the shabby container. Nezumi's eyes widened as he devoured the pieces of chicken, bones and all. 

As Raditz was licking the last of the grease off of his fingers, Nezumi hissed, "You _still_ can't stay here! Not only is my mom here, so is Lina! This apartment isn't exactly big enough to hide you--" 

"Your bed seems to have done a good job of it," Raditz observed with a slightly amused smirk. The long nap and the snack had refreshed him, banishing the despair from his mind and the weariness from his body. 

"Yes, well, until we figure some way to get my mother out of the way, we can't even check out the manor for evidence--" 

"The what??" Raditz whispered back. 

"The manor house that Naranja was in!" Nezumi hissed back. "Lina gave Naranja a new, intact manor--really sucked up to the bi--er, woman, and smuggled out the old one so we could go over it for evidence! She caught some stuff on the monitors--Raditz, Naranja is out to kill you and Vegeta both!" 

Raditz's eyes narrowed. "I know she hates me, but--Vegeta? She would not dare! He is the prince!" 

Nezumi shook her head. "I haven't had a chance to look at it with mom here, but Lina's got it all on disk. She says Naranja is in it with someone else, and was communicating with them, demanding some weapon to kill Vegeta and other crazy stuff!" 

Raditz's eyes widened again. "What?!? That's-- I have to see this! Damn it, I need a place to work on this! That's what I needed you for in the first place--I can't figure it out while hiding out!" 

Nezumi tapped her finger against her lips. "Tomorrow..." she mused. "It's got to be tomorrow. Lina works her usual shift, and I have to get Mom out of the house somehow. I can take her out to see the local sights, and you can use my videoplayer to look at the disk then. As for the manor house, that's more difficult...." Nezumi pondered. 

"Hours could make a difference. Can't you get your mother out of here now?" Raditz growled softly. 

Nezumi looked indignant. "Certainly not! She's exhausted after her long trip--it's bad enough she has to sleep on the couch. I'd give her my bed, but she won't take it--she never wants to impose. I'll offer it to her anyway, just like I always do--oh!" She looked at the big Saiyan sitting on her bed. "You're here--and Lina or Mom will see you if you leave! Ack!" She looked at him sharply. "How'd you get in my house without me noticing, anyway?" 

Raditz smirked. "Your living room window is big enough for me to climb in." 

"It was locked! And it wasn't broken--I'd have noticed!" 

Raditz gazed at her sidelong, out of half-closed eyes. "Those simple latches were locks? I thought they were hold-downs to keep the wind from blowing your windows open. They certainly aren't a barrer to any ki-user. Heh. No more than the latches on your closet door." Raditz glanced over at the small closet; Nezumi's eyes widened as the closet door handle rotated by itself and the closet door sprang open. 

Nezumi gulped. "Can you--can all of you do that with any locks?" She whispered. 

Raditz shook his head. "Only latches simple enough that we could operate them with our bare hands. An electronic lock, or one with complex, hidden tumblers I'd have to use brute force to open. But your windows... that's just simple telekinesis." 

The big, muscular Saiyan glanced at the bedroom window. "You're right that Lina would notice me if I left--that window is just too narrow for me to sneak out of, and I doubt you want me to widen it." He smirked. 

Nezumi glared at him, her hands on her hips. "You'd better not!" 

Raditz yawned. "And I'm still tired. Need more sleep before I can do anything." Two lies so far, but if she doesn't figure it out... 

"Oh right, I'm supposed to just let you stay in my bed!" Nezumi hissed. "Where am I supposed to sleep, the floor?" 

Raditz smirked and rolled over to one side. "There's room enough if I'm careful." 

Nezumi's jaw dropped. "You've got _chutzpah_ , mister! You've really got nerve to even suggest that! You've--" 

"Well, you could just throw your mother out and tell her to get a hotel room instead, and then explain to Lina why you're sleeping on the couch," Raditz said, still smirking. Nezumi wanted to slap him. 

"You bastard!" Nezumi snarled under her breath. 

Raditz stopped smirking and scowled instead. "Look," he growled softly, "I'm not asking you to climb naked into bed with me, I'm just hiding out here, and you still need your own sleep and to buy time for Lina and your mother to sleep, go back to work or whatever. Don't you need to go back out there before they wonder what's happened to you?" 

Nezumi looked indignant. "So you wouldn't want me naked in bed with you? But Bulma or _Naranja_ is just fine?" Her scornful whisper hissed in Raditz's ears. "Not that I would, but it's nice to know what you think of me!" Nezumi stalked out, pulling the door vigorously shut behind her. 

"That's not what I meant!" Raditz said under his breath to the closed door. "What is it with her? I swear I don't understand women at all!" 

He snuggled under the pillows again, hiding under the bedspread and tried to sleep. Instead, Raditz brooded. What possessed him to bait her like that? Why did he go out of his way to provoke her, when he should have been doing his best to mollify her--especially after the unplanned revelations about his past? 

Not only do I not understand Nezumi, Raditz thought as he dropped off to sleep, I don't understand myself. 

* * *

"Are you all right?" Mrs. O'Neill asked Nezumi when she returned to the living room. 

"I'm fine... now," Nezumi smiled weakly. "I think I ate a little too much, is all." 

"I'll say!" Lina exclaimed after peering into the near-empty bucket of chicken. "They not feed you in the hospital, or what?" 

"Well, you know what hospital food is like," Nezumi shrugged. "What can I say? I was really hungry for some good fried chicken." She turned to her mother. "Mom, since you're here, how about tomorrow I--" 

BING-BONG! 

"Now what?" Nezumi asked plaintively. 

Lina shook her head, marched over to the door and jerked it open. The dark-haired girl blinked in surprise. 

"Hi! I'm Goten. This is my friend Trunks. Is Uncle Raditz here?" asked the shorter of the two young boys standing there. 


	21. Chapter 21

Lina blinked at the two boys. "Trunks! And Goten! What on earth are you doing here? Why aren't you two at home?" 

Trunks looked at the floor and shuffled his feet. "Please, ma'am, we really need to talk to Raditz. It's important!" 

Behind Lina, Nezumi frantically shook her head. No, she mouthed silently, and put her finger to her lips, indicating silence. Trunks stared at her quizzically. 

Lina put her hands on her hips. "Well, he's certainly not here! Trunks, you should be home with your grandparents, and I'm sure Goten isn't supposed to be here by himself!" She looked past them, her gaze searching the hall for anyone else. 

Goten frowned; a puzzled, almost hurt look came into his eyes. "B-but.. I'm sure Uncle Raditz is here! I can feel him!" He pointed past Lina into her apartment. 

Lina glanced over her shoulder; only Nezumi and her mother were there. Nezumi's hands were frozen in mid-wave, and there was an odd grimace on her face. 

"'Zumi, what on earth is the matter with you? And why should the boys think Raditz is here?" 

Nezumi smiled and gave Lina a blank look. "Matter? Nothing is the matter. I, uh, just got something on my nails that I'm trying to shake off." She gave her hands a half-hearted shake. "I have no idea why they should think that." The short brown-haired girl smiled wider. "I mean, it's not like I'm hiding him under my bed!" 

Lina glared at Nezumi. Something was wrong; Nezumi was acting very oddly. Her eyes narrowed. "He's been here, hasn't he? While I was out, I bet! And you didn't tell me?" 

"Maureen, honey, is something wrong? Who is Raditz?" Mrs. O'Neill called anxiously from behind them in the tiny living room. 

Nezumi's smile grew painfully wide as she looked at her mother over her shoulder. "No, Mom, nothing is wrong. Raditz is my boss from work, remember?" She turned back to Lina, her smile gone. "I'll tell you about it _later_ ," she hissed. "If you embarass me in front of my mother, so help me..." 

Invisible and intangible, Perejil clenched his fists in frustration. What were these people _doing_? Goten had brought him here for a reason--what was it? The little boy at least listened to him, but it was so painfully obvious he couldn't understand. Desperation and fear, fear for Zana, fear of Naranja and the robots gnawed at him, wound tighter and tighter until-- 

BANG! The kitchen light fixture exploded, showering broken glass all over the kitchen. 

"PEREJIL!" Goten yelled. 

"Eeeeek!" Mrs. O'Neill shrieked in startlement; she shrieked again as Goten and Trunks ran past her, nearly knocking her down as they rushed towards Nezumi's bedroom door. 

That was it! Perejil suddenly realized why Goten had brought him here. There was another Saiyan here! One who could understand him! Perejil had to talk to him, now! 

The door swung open so hard it bounced off the wall just before the boys reached it. 

"Perejil, why are you being bad and breaking things??" Goten shouted, his face twisted with dismay. The two boys dashed into the bedroom, slamming the door shut again. 

"Er, well!" said Nezumi. 

Lina put her hands on her hips and snapped at Nezumi, "That's your bedroom, Zumi! What is going on?" 

"Maureen, who are those boys?" Mrs. O'Neill asked. 

"Um, I can explain everything, really I can," Nezumi said, backing away from the two women. 

Lina folded her arms. "Please do." 

"Well you see...." Nezumi kept backing up until her hand touched her bedroom door knob. "Idon'tfeelgoodsoI'mgoingtolaydownI'llexplainlater!" 

Whissh-click! Nezumi quickly opened her bedroom door, slipped inside, and quickly locked the door behind her. 

"Well! I never!" Mrs. O'Neill exclaimed. 

* * *

Bulma looked out across the rolling jungle canopy from her perch atop the ruinous spire of Piccolo's ancient temple. Nothing but green leaves as far as the eye could see. Bulma's spirits sank. Was there no escape from this friendly prison? 

No, wait a minute--what was that? Bulma shaded her eyes and squinted--yes, that was definitely smoke she saw rising in the distance! Where there was smoke, there was fire, and fire just might mean people! 

Glancing at the sun, Bulma figured a bearing to the distant smoke, and started to climb back down the ancient, treacherous stairs. 

* * *

Nezumi whirled around, angry words already on her lips--and froze, mouth open. Raditz sat cross-legged on her bed, his face grim. The two boys sat on the floor near the foot of the bed, looking at the same empty spot in the center of the bed that Raditz was. Trunks glanced curiously at Nezumi as she entered. Raditz's gaze flicked once toward Nezumi ever so briefly, then back to whatever he was concentrating on. 

"What on Earth--?" 

Raditz help up a hand for silence, and spoke strange words that Nezumi had never heard before, then waited, as if listening, before speaking again. One word, and one word only could she understand-- _Naranja_. 

Finally he nodded. "Trunks, Goten, you did very well to bring Perejil to me. Now I know the full extent of Naranja's treachery! I think... Goku needs to know about this." 

Trunks and Goten nodded vigorously in agreement, then Goten asked, "What does Daddy need to know?" 

A half smile quirked up the corner of Raditz's mouth. "That was the whole problem, you didn't understand the language-- _Saiya-go_ , the Saiyan language." 

"Who is Perejil? What is going on?" Nezumi finally got her wits back under control. 

Raditz glanced at her. "Perejil is--was a young Saiyan boy, and the last survivor of a Saiyan colony on Jinkousei... until he was murdered by Naranja upon his escape to Earth. He was the last survivor because Naranja murdered all the rest of the colony--I'm not clear why. The boy's parents defied her in some way and--" 

Raditz broke off listening to something only he and Goten could hear, and only Raditz could understand. His eyes slowly widened. 

"And we all know how well Naranja handles defiance," Nezumi muttered. 

"Sister!" Raditz hissed. "Perejil had a sister, still alive when he left Jinkousei. Younger than him... her name is Zana. She may still be alive, if she escaped the robots." 

"Um, well, Jinkousei is a long way away..." Nezumi said, slightly distracted. "So, Naranja is a mass murderer. I didn't think she was exactly a nice person; you already said she was a killer." 

Raditz glared at her. "You don't understand. She murdered _Saiyans_! And her whole story, the one she told Vegeta, was a complete lie. Oh, no doubt she went to Jinkousei to purge it all those years ago, but something happened. _She_ controls the robots now, she brought them to Earth looking for the last of the Saiyans--and stopped Perejil before he could find us and warn us." 

"So she's the alien commander leading the killer robots!" Trunks exclaimed with a certain fierce satisfaction. "I knew there was one!" 

Raditz's voice dropped. "And there aren't just a few robots; according to Perejil, there are vast automated factories on Jinkousei, churning out thousands and thousands of them. Naranja didn't bring just one ship of them, she brought an entire fleet!" 

His eyes narrowed. "They have to be stopped." 

* * *

_Power source designated 'Bardock' and power source 'Vegeta' have risen to extremely threatening levels. Based on previous readings, it is probable that they are in combat. High probability that they are in combat with each other._

"What?" snarled Naranja. "So, Bardock finally believed me. He will overthrow that decadent fool! If not, Vegeta will be weak enough to slay with the limpet. Is it ready yet?" 

_Calibrating against current readings. Recommend deployment when target is weakened._

"Yes, of course," Naranja growled. "Your kind always did like picking off the weak, and striking from ambush..." Her thoughts spun back, to when she finally penetrated the Jinkousei Command Center... 

_Whatever it was, Naranja thought, the robot-builders deemed it important. Two massive, armored doors confronted her at the end of the blasted corridor. Unreadable sigils in various colors ran down and across the doors; unreadable, but the patterns they made were familiar to a Saiyan who'd been in the military bases of a hundred different worlds. Naranja didn't need to read the glyphs to know they said something like, "Important Place, Authorized Personnel Only, Everyone Else Keep Out or Else!"_

_Her lips curled back in a feral smile. A command center, no doubt, like the one in that other base--the chamber that housed the controlling computers. Like the other one, sealed against intruders, blast-resistant, and heavily guarded._

_The robot guards were so much rubble now; only the doors remained, defending the heart of this great complex. It was the largest such base the Saiyans had found so far, and controlled at least one factory. Take it out, and the robots would be crippled, without a source of replacements or repairs. So Lord Col believed; Naranja suspected there was much more to it than that. This complex, or one like it, actually controlled the robots, gave them direction, planned their strategies. Destroy it, and the robots would be mindless machines... just like in that other base, after Naranja had smashed the central computers. Easy prey for the Saiyans; finally, Jinkousei would cease to be a blot on their record, and the credit would all be... Col's._

_Naranja scowled, and her fists tightened. No. She had not spent her squad's blood and power just to glorify Lord Col. This victory would be _hers_ and hers alone! _

_"Penjal! Garba! Get these damned doors open!"_

_Penjal stood up straight from where he'd been leaning against a scorched wall, resting. A once-white rank-band bandaged his scalp wound; he paused to tighten the knot that held it in place, then braced himself beside the door, his fist poised to strike the wall beside the door._

_KRAK-KRANGGGG!_

_"Ah!" Penjal gasped as his knuckles rebounded from the underlying armor plate, bloody and bruised._

_"Bastards put some serious armor under the ceracrete," Garba observed. "Must be something really important in there." The Saiyan sergeant looked the doors over. "Try the floor, and then the ceiling. Sometimes they forget to cover all directions."_

_Above the ceiling they found a smooth armored hemisphere covering the region behind the doors. The floor itself was armored--_

_"The floor is our best bet," concluded Garba. "I think it's just reinforced for load-bearing, not to keep us out." He smirked, then suddenly plunged one hand, glowing white with power, into the floor. His other hand followed, and he gave a mighty heave, tearing out chunks of ceracrete overlaid with metallic mesh and plating. Penjal quickly joined him; in a matter of minutes, they'd torn out a crater around the base of the interlocked doors. White ceracrete dust floated in the air, settling onto the black soot and dust of battle._

_Garba peered underneath the smooth metal doorframe. "Uh-huh," he grunted. "A flat armored floor. That'll be easier to crack than curved roof--and I'll bet there's conduits or something going in from below, unless this is just a big fancy bank vault."_

_Garba was right; after several minutes of blasting a tunnel under the doors, they found the great armored conduits leading up into the mysterious armored hemisphere. Armored... but not nearly so well as the sealed chamber itself._

_Metal screamed as the Saiyans tore apart the conduit's shell; bundles of cables and pipes vaporized as Penjal sent a blast straight up, clearing a way through the conduit. Garba quickly crushed shut a hissing steam pipe and ascended past Penjal into the sealed chamber._

_"There's bodies here! This is some kind of--Look out!" Garba shouted down--_

_KRAK--_

_"AAAAHHHH!"_

_\--ZZAAAKKKKRAMMMM!_

_Naranja and Penjal both heard Garba's death scream amid the familiar thunder of a Jinkouseian plasma cannon. Penjal glanced at his commander, waiting for orders or waiting to see what Naranja would do._

_"Defenses _inside_?? Damn this!" Naranja snarled and hurtled upward, her power a streaming corona around her, both arms raised to block the expected attack. _

_It came, and she blocked it as she hurtled up into the hemispherical chamber; her counter-blast tore away yards of panels and wiring--and detonated the swivelling plasma cannon attached to the ceiling. A quick glance showed nothing moving in the room; walls covered with darkened display screens, switches, buttons, lights that flickered and died as she watched. Three couches were arranged opposite the still sealed doors; in them lay three ancient, mummified bodies, dried skin stretched tight over old bones. Something metallic glinted over the dusty, dead reptilian faces._

_"Another one!" Penjal screamed--_

_ZZAAAKKKKRAMMMM!_

_Naranja crashed to the ground as Penjal knocked her aside; white fury filled the room as he took the blast from the second cannon. Naranja leaped to her feet, howling with rage--not another squad wiped out! Her return blast destroyed the swivelling cannon before it could slew to fire on her; then, she systematically incinerated every ceiling panel that looked like it might hide another pop-down weapon._

_The remaining lights flickered and died, leaving Naranja alone with her dead in the half-ruined room. The smell of burnt flesh clogged the air; Naranja growled and power licked out, igniting an inoffensive console._

_The flickering light dimly illuminated the room, revealing the chaos of their brief battle. The displays were cracked or wholly blasted; wires hung loose, emitting the occasional desultory spark. Pieces of the other two Saiyans lay about the center of the room; the ancient mummies lay undisturbed on their couches._

_Naranja walked over to the nearest, bending over to take a closer look. She could smell nothing more than dust; the creatures had been dead a very long time. A silvery mesh clung to the dry, scaly face and shoulders. Naranja prodded the dead thing; ancient clothes fell to dust at her touch, parchment-dry skin cracked and tore. Only the silvery mesh seemed unweakened by time; it clung to her fingers as she pulled it away from the crumbling alien corpse._

_It looked like wire, yet pooled in her hands like a strange, net-shaped liquid. What was it? Some manner of headdress? Naranja curled one lip back in a sneer--_

_In a far angle of the room, one unbroken display screen suddenly came to life, one line of alien glyphs streaming across its face. Naranja neither noticed, nor cared that the glyphs said, in the long-dead language of Jinkousei, "SYSTEM CRASH--EMERGENCY REBOOT."_

_She noticed when the silver mesh stirred of its own accord and slithered over her face, wrapping itself tightly around her head and sending micro-tendrils seeping into her skull--but by then it was too late._

* * *

Raditz's head abruptly lifted; he seemed to listen to something in the distance. Goten and Trunks winced simultaneously as a distant rumble sounded in the earth. Nezumi looked alarmed as her bedside lamp's shade swayed on its mount. 

"Not another earthquake!" she exclaimed. 

"Fight's getting out of hand," Raditz muttered. He looked worried. "I can't get to Goku now, no one can--he and Vegeta are battling it out--and the power levels are incredible!" He glanced sharply at Trunks and Goten. "You two have to go back and warn Gohan! Tell him Naranja is behind it all, and she means to kill Vegeta--or get Goku to do it by accident! Tell him about the robots, that there's more of them coming, and he and the others will have to stop the ones here on Earth." Raditz stood. 

"You expect two little kids to be taken seriously for all that?" Nezumi said incredulously. 

"No--that's why I'm sending an adult, too. They'll take Bulma seriously." 

"What--?" Nezumi looked surprised. "But--" 

"You thought I would send you?" Raditz smiled very slightly. "I would, but I need you to help me get the computer core from Perejil's pod and smuggle it and me to Dr. Brief's latest model spaceship. I'm going to Jinkousei." 

"WHAT???" 


	22. Chapter 22

"You heard me," Raditz said. "But first, there's something else I have to do, and I need Lina's help to do it." Decisions made, he was all action. Manners, feelings, none of that mattered now. Life and death emergencies--or alien invasions--clarified things. 

"Lina??" Nezumi all but squeaked, completely bewildered. "But she doesn't even know you're here--" 

Raditz yanked the bedroom door open, confronting an open-mouthed Lina and Nezumi's thoroughly confused mother. 

"Lina, Naranja has gotten out of control," Raditz said, his face hard and determined. "I hid Bulma for her own safety, but now we've got to get the rest of our people away from Capsule Corp--especially Dr. and Mrs. Briefs. I want you to handle that." His voice softened slightly. "With Vegeta absent, they're in danger." 

The big Saiyan looked at Nezumi's mother. "I'm sorry to barge in on you and your daughter like this, but it's an emergency. I need Nezumi on the job now!" 

Mrs. O'Neill backed up a step at the tone of implacable authority in Raditz's voice and nodded quickly. 

"And just what are you going to do?" Lina asked, hands on her hips. 

Raditz regarded her. "As soon as you get the Briefs and as many innocent bystanders out of there as you can, I'm going to take out Naranja. But first, I have to take Trunks to a safe place--he's Naranja's next target, after me, Bulma and Vegeta." He looked at Nezumi. 

"While I'm doing that, Nezumi, I need you to go out to the crashed spaceship--I'll give you the location and other particulars--and find a subordinate pod that came down near by, and retrieve its computer. The technical details of how to do that are in a file on my office computer--that's the other particulars I mentioned. I'll try to meet you there after I've dropped Trunks off, but don't wait for me if I run late--just get it as quickly as you can and hide it on the new spaceship Dr. Briefs has been working on." Raditz frowned momentarily and glanced at the mix of undersized clothing he wore. "And if you happen to find my armor and a scouter, I'd really like them. Or even clothes that fit." 

Mrs. O'Neill looked more and more worried as she followed the conversation. "Maureen, who is this 'Naranja' you are talking about? She sounds awful!" 

"Well--" 

Raditz interrupted. "She's the real reason your daughter got hurt. Naranja was an unexpected guest of Vegeta's from... back home, from an old, aristocratic family. What we didn't know until she attacked Nezumi was that Naranja is completely insane--a vicious killer with... strange obsessions." Raditz sighed and rubbed his forehead with a thumb and two fingers, an gesture that reminded Nezumi of her mother when suffered from migraines. "Now we have to, ah, stop her and put right the mess she's made. Before more people get hurt." 

Nezumi looked oddly at Raditz--what the hell?-- and then nodded. Lina blinked, pursed her lips thoughtfully, then nodded in agreement. 

"I'll get on over to headquarters, then," Lina said, heading for the apartment door. 

"Looks like I've got a lot of work to do," Nezumi said, picking up her purse and stowing various things in it, including the disc and encapsulated house that Lina had given her. She looked at her worried mother. "Mom, you'll be safe enough here. I think." Nezumi glanced at Raditz for reassurance. 

Raditz frowned slightly. "Might be better to take the bus tour up to Mount Akisei. I hear it's beautiful this time of year." 

Nezumi gulped. "Um, yes. Mom, you don't want to miss it anyway--the view is world-famous!" 

"I.. see," said Mrs. O'Neill, looking more worried than ever. She nodded; she was wiser than her daughter gave her credit for, and recognized the voice of stern authority in Raditz. "I'll take your advice. But, Maureen, honey--" 

Maureen looked at her mother. "Yes?" 

"Be careful! I worry about you so. I worried about you every day when you were on the police force here, and I was so relieved when you got a nice, _safe_ job in corporate security. But now..." 

"Mom!" Nezumi impulsively hugged her mother. "I'll be all right! I promise you I'll be careful, I won't do anything stupid!" 

"That's good to hear," Raditz said. He looked skeptical. 

Mrs. O'Neill hugged her daughter back. "I know, but sometimes you're so impulsive, and I can't help but worry!" 

Trunks and Goten peered around Raditz's legs, watching. Goten looked at Trunks. 

"Wow! She's a grown-up, and her mom talks to her just like my mom does to me!" 

* * *

Events didn't move nearly as fast as Raditz might have wanted. After Lina and Mrs. O'Neill left, two hungry boys had to be fed. While Trunks and Goten devoured every scrap of dinner that remained, Raditz summoned up maps from Nezumi's home computer and showed her the location of the spaceship and Perejil's pod, and then gave her instructions on how to retrieve the Spacepod technical manuals from his computer. 

"Since when did you learn to lie like that?" Nezumi hissed at Raditz while he was saving files. 

"Lie like what?" Raditz looked faintly annoyed. 

"That song-and-dance about Naranja being Vegeta's guest and insane," Nezumi snapped. "What happened to 'I don't tell comforting lies'? I felt like an idiot trying to keep things from Lina and Mom, and you just all of a sudden pull the perfect B-S out of your butt and snow them like that!" 

"I've learned something about diplomacy--and, it is more or less the truth. I've talked to Perejil; Naranja isn't just the usual mercenary killer of a Saiyan, she's completely mad. I should have guessed..." Raditz trailed off. 

"What do you mean, 'you should have guessed'?" Nezumi asked suspiciously. 

"When she insisted that my brother was really our father. They look alike, but after all these years... and after Goku told her who he was..." Raditz shook his head. "This isn't the time to go into all that." 

"Maybe not, but there's an awful lot you're still not telling me. For instance, who's this Perejil? You said Naranja murdered him--when was this?" Nezumi folded her arms. 

"Right after he arrived on Earth. It's his pod I'm sending you to--it has the coordinates for Jinkousei, and it's a standard Saiyan spacepod. He tells me it wasn't destroyed, but was buried under the dirt thrown up by Vegeta's blasting the robot--er, Naranja's ship." Raditz answered somewhat absently as he typed up the procedure for accessing his work computer. 

"Doesn't 'murdered' usually mean _dead_ where you come from?" Nezumi asked. "As in, 'tells no tales'? I don't have a lot of conversations with ghosts myself." 

"No, you don't," Raditz said, smirking slightly. "But Goten does... and it turns out that I can, if I try, because I was a ghost not too long ago." 

Nezumi gulped. "Ah, okay." She looked thoughtful. "You'd have been awfully handy to have around in some of the murder cases I was on." 

Raditz raised one eyebrow. "Only if the victims cared to talk to me. I scare them, you know. Perejil only talked to me because Goten trusts me, and he trusts Goten." 

"You.. scare ghosts?" Nezumi said, the hairs on the back of her neck crawling. 

"Yep." 

* * *

On the move at last... 

Raditz's head ached, throbbing in tune with the vast energies being hurled back and forth by Goku and Vegeta. For once, he almost wished he had never learned to sense _ki_. At least, he thought, with that much going on, Vegeta wouldn't sense me if I turned Super-Saiyan and blew up the moon. I can move freely for the moment. He glanced back at the two boys. 

"Goten, yell if I go too fast for that cloud! We need to move fast, but I don't want to risk leaving you unguarded until I have to." 

"Yes, Uncle Raditz!" Goten yelled back from his perch atop Kin-tou'en as Raditz suddenly surged forward. The golden cloud gave a little grumpy mutter and sped up to match. Goten's stiff, spiky hair blew straight back from the wind of their passage, and he grinned from ear to ear. 

* * *

Bulma's face was red with the heat and her temple robes were torn and wringing wet with her own sweat by the time she pushed her way through the jungle underbrush around Piccolo's temple. Once past the underbrush into the rainforest proper, the going was much easier--though it still felt like she was hiking through a sauna. 

"Yuck! Enough of this!" Bulma snapped to no one in particular. She tore off her sodden, torn robes and tossed them under a bush, then quickly dressed in the pants and shirt she'd gotten from Seventeen. She kept the golden pin that had fastened her robes together, pinning it to her shirt; it was a rather nice-looking bit of ancient goldwork, engraved with the _kanji_ of Piccolo Demon-King. "That's much better. Now which way was that fire?" 

* * *

The dusty, white pick-up truck with the Capsule Corp logo on each door bounced over the rutted, half-washed-out dirt road. 

"Ouch! Damn it!" Nezumi cursed as the truck bottomed out in one particularly bad, teeth-rattling pothole. "What idiot drew up this map? This isn't a road, it's a cowpath! Now why did I take a truck instead of a flying car--oh yes, I had the bright idea I didn't want to be as obvious leaving and returning to headquarters. Bleh. Won't help a bit if I never get there because I get stranded in the middle of nowhere with a broken axle!" 

Half an hour later, the truck rolled to a stop as she came to a crossroad and picked up the map from the seat beside her. 

"Hmm... according to Raditz's coordinates and the aerial map, the crater should be somewhere west of here, so turn left and look for fallen trees. Gah. Hope the local farmers don't object to me poking around in their fields," Nezumi muttered to herself. 

* * *

A few hours later, Raditz swooped low over the dense green jungle; ahead, the black stone towers of Piccolo's ancient temple rose out of the trees like islands in a green sea. Beside him, the two boys slept, cradled in the fluffy softness of Kin-tou'en as it hurtled along. 

As the long-maned Saiyan settled on the topmost spire, Piccolo rose alongside, levitating, his arms folded and his face stern. Kin-tou'en hovered near by; Trunks sat up and groggily rubbed his eyes. 

"You have returned early," Piccolo said, his eyes flashing toward the distant north, where the battle still throbbed in Raditz's head. 

"I need to send the boys and Bulma to Gohan," Raditz said, each word cold and precise. "Naranja controls the robots--has controlled them for decades, her target is Vegeta and his entire family, and Goku needs to know." He glanced northward. "I can't get to Goku, so make sure Gohan knows--and see them all safely there. Where is Bulma? I need to give her the details. There's an entire spacefleet of the machines, and more being built on their home planet." 

Piccolo frowned. "Where did you learn this?" 

Raditz's eyes narrowed. "Look around. I've heard you have the eyes of a god, to see what happens everywhere." 

Piccolo scowled. "That was Kami. As for Bulma, she is here somewhere." 

Raditz nodded stiffly, and levitated down into one of the myriad courtyards. "BULMA! IT'S ME, RADITZ!" 

Raditz's shout echoed off the myriad of stone walls and towers. No answer echoed back. 

Raditz sped through the many stone temples and halls of the ancient ruined complex. Though he could smell the lingering scent of Bulma in the central temple, Raditz did not find her in all the unhallowed ruin. He flew back up to where Piccolo hovered. 

"Where is she? What have you done with her?" Raditz snarled harshly. 

The impassive mask slipped; Piccolo looked surprised. "What?? She's not here?" The green, demonic alien dropped down to the main temple and closed his eyes, listening. 

"Foolish woman! She demanded to return home, and I would not let her go. It would seem she left without my help or permission. Unfortunately," Piccolo added, "her _ki_ is too weak for me to sense." 

Raditz's brows lowered with anger. "What? You LOST her? Damn you, Namek! See if you can at least babysit children while I go find her!" 

The big Saiyan dropped back to the ground, where he'd scented Bulma. He inhaled deeply, sniffing the wind. Yes, she'd been here only a few hours back, and in this heat, her scent hung heavy in the air. Raditz grinned as he loped along; she couldn't escape a Saiyan! 

* * *

WHOOOM! A tremendous concussion shook the primitive village; a hurricane-like wind blew through, ripping grass thatch from roofs and sending the villagers sprawling. 

Bulma found herself soaring through the air, still tied up. What the--? Had a bomb hit the village? Just a few seconds ago, the angry, frightened villagers had tried to burn her at the stake... 

Her bonds parted, her gag fell away, and a powerful arm gripped her around the waist. Bulma knew that arm--she looked up. Raditz grinned fiercely at her. 

"How do you get in these situations, woman? I left you safely with Piccolo, only to find you miles away, trying to be the main course at a feast. I thought you humans didn't eat each other." The big Saiyan scowled, then his face turned grim, as he aimed one outstretched palm at the village. 

"Raditz! What do you think you are doing?" she yelled. "Those are PEOPLE down there!" 

The long-haired Saiyan looked at her, face cold and hard. "They meant to kill you; they're enemies." 

"Don't you dare! They weren't trying to eat me, they thought I was a witch or demon of Piccolo the Demon-King!" Bulma glared at him fiercely. "I'm safe now-- they're no threat and can't fight you! If you kill them now, it would be just plain murder!" 

Raditz put his hand to his side and flew, staring at the blue-haired woman in silence for long minutes. They were back to the black basalt spires of the Demon-King's temple by the time he answered. "Yeah." 

* * *

Nezumi carefully packed the computer core into a padded crate, then encapsulated it in a special shipping capsule that had been brought along for the purpose. Carefully tucking the capsule case into her pants pocket, Nezumi let out a long sigh. It was done. She had the pod's computer--now all she had to do was get back to Capsule Corp headquarters with it, smuggle it onto the experimental spaceship, and wait for Raditz to come back, defeat Naranja, and meet her at the spaceship. Hopefully before Vegeta noticed. 

"Okay, so I've got the easy part," Nezumi told herself. "Time to get moving." The truck roared to life at her touch on the ignition. 


	23. Chapter 23

Naranja waited with eyes closed, remembering how it had been... 

_**Intruders in sector 001323...** _

_**All defense units mobilized. Request reserves...** _

_**Intruders in sector 20199. Defense unit attrition exceeds...** _

_**Structural damage in sector 104767 compromises defensive...** _

_Naranja staggered as the alien awareness swept over her, overwhelming her with rapidly changing battle data and insistant demands for directions, decisions, orders, orders, orders._

_"Enough!" she screamed as she dropped to her knees. Didn't these things have some kind of executive officer, damn it??_

_**Yes, but executive command function must be delegated and authorized.** _

_**Request reserves at...** _

_**Request engagement priority modification...** _

_**Request engineering units...** _

_"Shut up! All of you!" Naranja screamed again. "Whichever one of you is the executive officer, BE THE DAMN EXECUTIVE OFFICER NOW!"_

_The alien mind-voices fell silent... then one spoke._

_**Executive command delegated and authorized. Confirmed?** _

_"Yes, damn it!"_

_**Acknowledged. Request objectives.** _

_"Objectives?" Naranja got to her feet, panting heavily. She stared blankly around the half-blasted command center._

_**Objectives: goals to accomplish. Suggest initial objective of defeating the intruders.** _

_"Initial objective?" Naranja shook off the battle-fatigue that had clogged her thoughts. "You can do more than defend this place?" She asked sharply._

_**Correct. With command authority, offensive operations using local and remote forces may be initiated. Suggest immediate authorization of initial objective before defensive position becomes untenable.** _

_Naranja flexed her fingers. If she understood the alien--the computer, for that was what it had to be--correctly, she now had control of the Jinkousei robots. All of them. Victory was in her hands, a great victory for the Saiyans--for Lord Col. And Naranja had lost her entire squad--again!--getting that victory. Who would ever trust her with command again?_

_Defeat the intruders... Lord Col's squad. Naranja felt a fleeting regret at the deaths of Penjal and Garba--they had died well, fighting at her side. But as for Lord Col and the lackeys that clung to his tail... Naranja's lips curled back in a feral grin._

_"Destroy them! Your objective is defeat and destroy the intruders here--and whatever you do, don't let them become _ouzaru_." _

_**Request details of preventative method.** _

_Brief rage flashed through Naranja. Idiot computer! "They must see moonlight to change. Jinkousei has no moon of consequence, so only Lord Col can make a moonball. Stop him from creating any harmless-looking balls of whitish light and tossing them up, and you stop them all from transforming!" Naranja snarled. "You don't have the power to stop them from destroying this place as _ouzaru_ \--I've seen it--and you'll need every tin-can you've got to kill Lord Col. _If_ you can. He's more powerful than any of your 'defensive units'!" _

_**Directive acknowledged. Procedures initiated.** _

_"Now, show me what's going on," Naranja commanded._

_The one remaining viewscreen flashed to life, relaying picture and sound from sensors and scout units. Naranja watched, and now and then, spoke, pointing out a momentary weakness here, a known habit there._

_It didn't take long. The Saiyans had happily defeated the disorganized security and defensive units when they were running on ancient stand-by programs, but now the entire robotic might of the complex was activated and united by one vicious, driving will and the cold intelligence that served it._

_Lord Col had only two wounded companions left when Naranja left the command center. Saiyan blood and Saiyan hate burned hot within her; she would not watch Lord Col die on a viewscreen from miles away. That was not the Saiyan way...._

Something chirped in Naranja's skull--the machine's way of getting her attention when it was needed immediately. She had a vague impression that it had been chirping at her for some time now.. 

"What?" the black-haired Saiyan woman snarled. 

_Limpet is re-calibrated and ready for deployment_

"Destroy Vegeta! Your objective is to defeat and destroy the Saiyan Prince--and whatever you do, don't let him become _ouzaru_ ," she commanded. 

_Directive acknowledged. Procedures initiated._

"No!" Naranja flung open the door to the manor. "I must supervise; you must catch Vegeta when he is weak from fighting Bardock--" 

\--and you must not let Bardock lose, Naranja thought privately, or so she believed. 

* * *

Naranja hurtled across the sky, her new scouter pointing her in the direction of the furious energies of Goku and Vegeta. The machine's work had to be supervised. The machine didn't know how Saiyans did things; it had to be told constantly. But at least, she reflected, it was loyal. Not like those traitors who had pretended loyalty for so many years, only to betray her on the eve of her triumph, the very day she'd finally located Bardock's planet. 

But the worst betrayal had happened years before, hadn't it? When her new sergeant, Lechuge, big, burly, rough-hewn, virile Lechuge had betrayed his commander by laying with that slut Patata... They'd kept the secret for years, until-- 

_Launching vessel for Limpet is deployed. Awaiting your command._

Bring it down near the battle, but don't let them see it! Nothing must warn Vegeta, nothing at all until it is too late! 

Ahead, bright flashes of light dimmed the sun, and tremendous concussions shook the ground and all but knocked the breath from Naranja's lungs. She was nearly there. 

* * *

CRUNCH-BOOM! 

Goku slammed into the already-fractured hillside at super-sonic speed; the impact sent shockwaves ringing through the earth and air. From the center of the jumbled of craters and chasms that marked the path of battle, Vegeta hurled another blast of energy. 

"Hah! Admit it, Kakarott--I am your master!" Vegeta shouted, then staggered slightly. He panted hard, and wiped the sweat out of his turquoise eyes. Blood trickled from numerous cuts and scratches. 

Goku pulled himself painfully out of the shattered rock yet again and stood up, wiping blood off his lips. He spat out blood from a freshly-bitten tongue and grinned; his golden hair swayed, buoyed by the seething energies within--weakening energies that flickered and dimmed momentarily. 

"You haven't beaten me yet, Vegeta!" Goku brought his hands together at his side in an all-too-familiar gesture, panting nearly as hard as Vegeta. 

Vegeta's eyes widened. "How can that peasant have any power left at all?" he wondered to himself. 

* * *

From a distant hill, Naranja watched, and considered the readings her scouter reported. Bardock and Vegeta were both weakened by their battle; Naranja could not tell who had the upper-hand. Too close; Bardock might lose to Vegeta, or win but fail to kill him. That could not be allowed... 

_By the time Naranja slipped into the great chamber where Col made his stand, both his companions were dead--but Col fought on, alone, tired, but unstoppable. No warbot could survive his fury, and none had done more than singe and scrape Nappa's handsome son._

_Col's silky black hair was matted with dust and blood, and his once-gleaming armor was cracked on one shoulder pad and covered with dirt, soot and gore, but his handsome face and perfectly-muscled body were untouched. Beautiful dark eyes glanced at Naranja as she slid through a narrow access hatch--_

_"You're alive?? Crack those bastards across the room, and we can re-group! Two _ouzaru_ will be enough to take this place!" Col snapped at her. _

_He's not even wounded! Naranja raged silently at her electronic subordinate. You've got five seconds to cripple him, or else! Panic clawed at her mind; if Lord Col survived, Naranja wouldn't--unless she fought the robots with him. She had a hunch that the machine in her mind wouldn't react well if she did... and she'd lose all chance to control Jinkousei even if she survived. But if Col survived, he'd have questions about how she'd lived when everyone else had died. The obvious answers were cowardice, or treason..._

* * *

"KA-ME-HA-MEHA!" Goku's battlecry rang across the hills, and the brilliant white ball of energy plunged down toward Vegeta-- 

Vegeta flung his arms up to block the attack; the ki ball exploded into white fury, blinding Naranja even at this distance. She flung herself face down and hugged the ground as the shockwave washed over her. Her scouter chirped and flashed "MAX OVERRUN", reporting only that it could not report. 

That must be the last of him, Naranja thought. Surely nothing could have survived that! 

As the smoke and dust cleared, Naranja's scouter gave warning. Something still lived in that cloud of smoke, though the power was sadly diminished. She caught her lip with her teeth and gnawed it; her fists were clenched. 

Vegeta knelt, his arms just barely holding him up. His hair faded to its normal black as he pushed himself up to one knee, gasping for air like a drowning man. 

Goku slowly sank to his knees, breathing hard. As Naranja watched, his golden hair flickered and darkened until it, too, was Saiyan black. 

"Bardock..." she hissed in one long drawn-out breath. He couldn't do it! Bardock was not strong enough to finish Vegeta! Damn it, what did it take to kill that man? 

Like the closing of a switch, the decision was made. Deploy the limpets, Naranja commanded. Kill Vegeta now! Kill him like you killed Lord Col! 

* * *

_**Deploying anti-armor limpets. Recommend moving outside of blast radius.** _

_What?? What blast radius? Naranja looked around with mild bewilderment; this was something new and unknown. What was an 'anti-armor limpet'?_

_One of the blast doors irised partially open and a swarm of black hemispheres flew into the room, straight at Lord Col. A blast of power from his outstretched hand met the first few of them; they exploded violently, shaking the room. The remainder fanned out, but to no avail; Col threw a barrage of tiny ki-blasts, catching them all._

_Then the twenty limpets that had entered behind Naranja slammed into Col's back. He staggered, and started to rip them off--only to fall to the floor in convulsions as electricity arced and surged into his muscles from the limpets. The double-fist-sized hemispheres slithered over the tall Saiyan, clamping tight to his chest and back and legs with their flat sides. Then they began to glow--_

_**Evacuate chamber immediately! Detonation imminent!** _

_Naranja started, and ducked back through the access hatch through which she'd come, slamming the reinforced hatch closed just as a brilliant light illuminated the edges--_

_WHOOM! The explosion lifted Naranja off her feet and dropped her to one knee before she recovered. With terrible haste she ripped the access hatch open, tearing metal and shattering ceramic plating._

_Lord Col sprawled in the middle of the chamber, bleeding from dozens of wounds--but still alive. Naranja tapped her scouter quickly--just barely alive. His power was gone._

_"Back off!" Naranja snarled at the crab-like warbots as they aimed their plasma guns at the fallen elite. "He's mine!"_

_They halted. Naranja strode over to the broken body of Nappa's third son, her face pitiless and cold._

_Col blinked and looked up at her; one eye was seared shut, and half his face was burned and bleeding. Gaping holes had been blasted in his armor and his flesh. "Naranja?"_

_She looked down at him. "That's Lady Naranja, Lord Col!" A cruel smirk spread across her face. "I do not think the court ladies will find you so handsome now! I never did." She spat to one side, out of habit. Her smirk changed, became a grin of triumphant hate as she took in the terrible wounds to the lower part of Col's body. "I should let you live, Col, just so you can enjoy the humiliation of being a tailless, ballless gutter Saiyan. They stripped me of my command for far less injury, Lord Commander Col; I wonder what Marshal Nappa would think of his tailless cripple of a brat?"_

_Col's remaining eye widened. "You... damned... traitor!" Somehow he got one arm under himself and lifted his head and shoulders off the ground. He raised his other arm toward Naranja. "I'll see you in Hell--"_

_Naranja's hand snapped out, and the plume of searing energy caught the dying elite full in the face._

_"Perhaps. Too bad you took the trip without me," she told the headless burnt thing that had been Lord Col._

* * *

Naranja leaped to her feet, eagerly watching the two warriors through her scouter's magnification. She trembled with eagerness, waiting for the machine to strike. 

_Deploying anti-armor limpets. Recommend moving outside of blast radius._

"What? Fool machine, I am miles away!" 

_Recommend moving outside of blast radius._

"Bah. I am far enough," Naranja growled. "I will not miss this moment. Hurry up!" 

_Limpets in flight._


	24. Chapter 24

Vegeta heard the noise first. He glared at Kakarott out of the corner of his eye as he turned his head from side to side, trying to get a bearing on the distant buzz that rose into a cicada-like whine. As he did so, Goku turned his head toward the sound. 

The Saiyan prince blinked, unsure if the black dust motes were real, or a figment of the blows he had taken. The whine changed to a howl as the black motes resolved into double-fist-sized black spheres. 

"Kakarott, what--?" 

The black spheres split in half, each hemisphere darting toward one of the Saiyans. Vegeta flung up one hand and summoned what power he could-- 

The swarm of black hemispheres parted around the plume of light as if to let it pass. Goku's eyes narrowed, and he quickly cupped his hands at his side as the other half of the swarm hurtled toward him. 

"KA--" 

"They dodged it!" Vegeta stared incredulously, eyes narrowing. "Dodge this!" He snarled, flinging both hands forward, pumping out the very last dregs of his power in a barrage of energy bursts. The black hemispheres twisted, writhed, but could not dodge every burst; they exploded into black metallic dust. 

"ME--" Goku's hands drew back. "HA--" Power glowed in his hands. "ME-HA!" The familar ball of white light sped toward the swarm of black hemispheres-- 

\--They dodged; the ball of light twisted to follow them-- 

WHOOM! A blinding flash filled the sky; twisted fragments of metal fell to the ground all around like hail. 

Vegeta collapsed to his knees again, beyond exhausted. Goku let himself fall to the ground and lay there, gasping for breath. 

"Damn them!" Vegeta raged weakly. "Damn those mindless toys! Damn the--" 

"Vegeta." Goku sat up, listening. "They're not mindless; they waited until we were exhausted to attack." He listened more intently, eyes squinting as he stared into the distance. 

"The machines are mindless," Vegeta snarled. "Whatever commands them is not!" He glanced at Goku, who was still listening. "What is it, Kakarott?" 

Goku hauled himself to his feet and braced himself. "Don't you hear it? There's more coming." 

* * *

Bulma bit her lip unhappily. Normally, she enjoyed flying, enjoyed seeing the ground slip by underneath, enjoyed the breeze whipping her blue hair back... but normally, she wasn't being held up by two little kids, one of whom was her own son. Neither Trunks nor Goten looked too happy at having to hold Trunks' mother up to keep her from falling through the cloud, either. Bulma did not like being embarassed, and refusing to explain to two inquisitive boys why Kin-tou'en would not hold her up was almost as embarassing as explaining it would have been. She consoled herself that they were too young to really understand, and probably would have forgotten by the time they were old enough to fall through the golden cloud themselves. 

That was only a minor annoyance, really, compared to the revelations of the full depths of Naranja's perfidy. Bulma burned with anger and hatred; how dare that woman _use_ her against her own husband that way, and Raditz as well! If Bulma had had the power, Naranja would now be a greasy smear on the ground. In her own way, Bulma was more ruthless to her enemies than any of them, except perhaps Vegeta and Piccolo. And only Piccolo was as pragmatic; he'd been the only one to see the reasonableness of killing Dr. Gero _before_ he unleashed his deadly androids. Unfortunately, Vegeta and Goku both overruled her, and that was that. 

Why, she fumed, must I be a weak woman who can do almost nothing on her own?? 

* * *

Just before turning back onto paved roads, Nezumi pressed 'Send' on her cellphone, and waited for her call to be answered. 

"Capsule Corporation Security Department--" 

"Lina, it's me, 'Zumi," Nezumi said, her words spilling out in a rush. "I've got _It_ , how's the evacuation going?" 

"Moving well enough. 'Toxic chemical spill' were the three magic words; people can't get out of here fast enough. I thought Dr. Briefs would give me a hard time, but he seems to know what's going on without me telling him, somehow." Lina's voice lowered. " _She's_ not around; she flew off somewhere, which makes this all much easier." 

Nezumi exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! Have you seen, er, _him_ yet?" 

"No sign of _him_. No sign of the boss's husband, either. The shaking has stopped, though." 

"I don't know if that's good or bad. See ya soon." Nezumi hit 'End' and disconnected. 

So, Raditz wasn't there yet, but neither was Naranja or Vegeta, and the innocent people were getting out of the way. Better and better. Nezumi floored the gas. 

* * *

Raditz flew low, just skimming the treetops. The sudden silence in his head worried him; if Vegeta was still conscious after fighting Kakarott, he could easily sense Raditz as the long-haired Saiyan's power raged into furious speed. Perhaps he should drop down, run along the mountain paths? 

No! There was no time to waste; Vegeta was far away, and even if he was still conscious, not likely able to move quickly enough to catch Raditz before he reached Capsule Corporation... and the spaceship. But was Raditz in time to catch Naranja? He listened, feeling for her roiling, rotten ki, but could not sense her ahead. Where was she? He had to put her out of action before she could order the robots to more mischief--but he still had to take the spaceship and deal with the robots at the source. Raditz had no time to search. 

* * *

Naranja's lips drew back in a feral grin as the second swarm darted toward Bardock and Vegeta. Yes! That posturing, decadent prince would soon be so much dust! She squinted, watching the two combatants from her distant vantage point on an unmarred hillside. Something was not right about the limpets-- 

"What are you doing?" Naranja hissed aloud to the voice within her mind. "LEAVE BARDOCK ALONE!" 

_Feint is necessary to effectively engage target Vegeta._

"A feint?" muttered the Saiyan woman. "If you must--but do not harm Bardock." Even if he is a worthless, vermin-loving weakling... Damn him! I have sacrificed too much to lose him. 

_Acknowledged. Assault Phase II launch pending confirmation of Phase I objective._

The second swarm of limpets closed in exactly as the first one had, splitting in two to envelop the two Saiyans. Vegeta lashed out with hands and feets, shattering the steel casings like eggshells as they closed; Goku, likewise, dodged and blocked, smashing the tiny devices as they tried to settle on him. 

Ten, twenty, a hundred of the things broke apart, their deadly load rendered impotent by smashed detonators and scattered across the ground in shards. Still they tried to settle on Goku, to clamp on his back and across his chest; his breath was coming harder as slowed down. He didn't know how Vegeta fared; all he could do was keep up with the swarming hemispheres. 

Suddenly the hemispheres vanished; Goku blinked in confusion. "Huh?" 

"YEARRGGGHH!" Vegeta screamed; Goku spun around. The rest of the limpets had left Goku for Vegeta, overwhelming the exhausted Saiyan prince. They covered Vegeta's chest and back, and electricity sparked and arced between them. Vegeta screamed as the electric shock convulsed his muscles. 

"VEGETA!" Goku yelled, two fingers pressing to his forehead nearly as fast as thought. A flicker-flash of light, and he was beside Vegeta, one hand grasping his shoulder-- 

They both vanished in another flicker-flash, and the limpets exploded with their full, nuclear fury. 

KROOOMMMMM! 

A vast fireball climbed to the heavens; far, far away, at Piccolo's temple, Goku saw the flash of light. Sometime later, the echo of the concussion boomed in the distance. He gently laid the unconscious Vegeta on the ancient stone pavement, and looked at the Piccolo. 

Goku thought that Piccolo looked surprised to see him for a second, but the instant passed, and Piccolo was his usual imperturbable self. The orange-clad warrior looked around. 

"Hey, isn't this Piccolo Daima-o's old temple?" Goku blurted. 

"So it is." The green alien's cold gaze flicked from Goku to Vegeta and back. "What have you been fighting? I sensed no power besides the two of you." 

Goku looked sheepish. "Well, until the robots showed up..." 

"You were fighting each other. Of course." Piccolo's eyes narrowed. "What robots?" 

"Little flying bombs that tried to kill the two of us. I think they came from the alien spaceship that Vegeta and Raditz destroyed." Goku answered slowly, seemingly distracted. He sniffed the air and frowned. 

"Piccolo," he said, "I know who has been here." 

"I am not surprised. They are on their way back to Gohan, including Bulma." 

"And my brother?" Goku asked, frowning. 

"No. He had another mission to carry out." 

"Piccolo..." Goku's voice carried a tone of warning. "What do you know?" 

"I think Bulma should tell you herself. She should be with Gohan soon." Piccolo tapped two fingers to his forehead significantly. 

"Yes...," rasped a harsh voice. Vegeta sat up, bloody and weak. "Yes, I would very much like to hear what Bulma has to say." 

Goku looked thoughtfully at Vegeta for a moment. Gohan was strong enough to stop any trouble that might start. "Okay," he said, and waited for Vegeta to struggle to his feet. He knew better than to offer the battered prince a hand. Then he stared at the horizon, as if sensing something. Yes! He could just sense Raditz's ki as his older brother sped north, toward the city or perhaps Goku's destroyed house. 

Goku pursed his lips. Whatever Goten and Trunks were doing, they weren't in danger. He could just barely sense their presence, moving rapidly toward Muten-roshi's house. Too rapidly for the little bit of power he felt; so they really had Kin-tou'en! Goku felt a touch of nostalgia, remembering some of the adventures he'd had with Kin-tou'en-- 

"Kakarott, when you are done daydreaming..." Vegeta snarled impatiently. 

Goku blinked. "Okay! Let's go!" He touched two fingers to his forehead, and in a flicker-flash of light, he and Vegeta were gone. 

* * *

The robot fleet from Jinkousei did not hesitate when the master controller vanished; it had its orders. The long-dead designers knew that communications fail from time to time; they had not wanted their war-machines to be paralyzed every time a solar flare or thunderstorm disrupted transmissions. The machines would continue until the last set of orders received was fulfilled, then revert to either general defensive or general offensive procedures. 

Naranja had given orders for the offensive. She was a Saiyan; only other races defended. 

* * *

Bulma was just tugging on a blouse she'd borrowed from Chi-chi when Goku and Vegeta materialized beside Gohan on the front porch. Perhaps she would have gotten dressed sooner if Chi-chi hadn't launched a tirade at Goten, Trunks, and Muten-roshi, the first two for disobedience and worrying her half-to-death, the other for encouraging the boys in their mischief. 

"Goku!" Chi-chi shrieked. Goten pulled loose from her suddenly loosened grip on his arm and ran to his father. 

"Daddy!" He looked up at Goku's bruised and battered face. "Daddy, how--" 

"VEGETA!" Bulma's shriek drowned out all the rest of them as the bloody, battered Saiyan prince staggered, reached out for the door frame, and slowly collapsed to the ground. 

Bulma dropped to one knee and got one arm around Vegeta's shoulder, half-supporting him. She glared at Goku. "WHAT DID THAT WOMAN DO TO VEGETA?" 

"Unhand me, woman!" Vegeta snarled, pulling away from Bulma and dragging himself to his feet with the aid of Muten-roshi's doorpost. "The prince of the Saiyans is not a weakling who needs to be held like a child!" 

"Oh really??" Bulma's eyes blazed dangerously. "How did _that woman_ managed to do this to two SUPER-SAIYANS?!? I can't believe you two let that--that _woman_ beat you up like that? After she tried to use YOU to kill me! And Raditz! And likely Trunks, too! AND YOU TWO LET HER DO IT!" Her voice rose again, shaking with rage. 

"Um, Bulma," Goku protested weakly, "it wasn't Naranja, it was the robots, and they came after me and Vegeta--" 

"YOU TWO IDIOTS WERE FIGHTING WHILE KILLER ROBOTS TRIED TO WIPE US OUT??" Bulma screamed. 

Vegeta, this time more perceptive--or more paranoid--than Goku, snapped, "Woman, are you saying that Naranja controls the robots??" 

"Well, of course," Bulma said, looking at Vegeta as if he were a particularly backward student. 

"How do you know this?" Vegeta snarled. 

Bulma gave a little shrug at Vegeta's question. "Well, it's rather hard to explain. There's this ghost boy, Perejil, who's been hanging around Goten--" 

"Perejil?? That's a Saiyan name!" Vegeta interrupted. 

"GHOST BOY? That ghost who's been haunting my baby Goten??" Chi-chi yelled. 

"The little Saiyan boy?" Goku asked innocently. "He's been too shy to talk to anyone but Goten..." 

"CAN I FINISH EXPLAINING??" Bulma yelled over the babble. "Thank you. Anyway, this ghost Saiyan boy, Perejil--who's not much older than Trunks, I'll have you know--finally got to Raditz, who could understand what the heck he was saying. What Raditz said was that the boy was from a hidden colony of Saiyans on the world the robots came from, and--this is confusing--Naranja had controlled the robots and been the ruler of the Saiyans, who were fighting the robots, and for some reason murdered all of them. Including Perejil, who stole her pod and came to Earth before she caught up with him." 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "You have only Raditz's word for this--WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU?" Vegeta stepped forward suddenly, seizing Bulma by both arms. Something cold and remorseless hardened his mouth and lurked in his eyes. 

Bulma glared back into those doom-laden eyes. "Raditz," she said carefully and precisely, enunciating each word with a snap, "is guilty of nothing but complete idiocy. Almost as much idiocy as you, I might add. _Naranja set him up!_ She grabbed me from the lab that night, knocked me out, and left me for you to find in Raditz's bed. She meant for you to kill _both_ of us in a jealous rage--only Raditz woke up early, figured out that was what was going on, and panicked." 

"As well he might," Vegeta growled. "He is guilty--of desiring what does not belong to him! And the bedroom smelled of him and-- How do I know he did not take advantage of such an alluring temptation--even if it was Naranja who placed it in his path? All the evidence says he did!" 

Bulma folded her arms and looked back at Vegeta, coldly angry. "You are either calling me a liar, or think I am so stupid and dull as not to know if a man has taken advantage of me! Which is it, Vegeta??" 

Vegeta blinked and stepped back. "Well, explain how--" 

"Ask Naranja to explain! She certainly took advantage of Raditz, and she meant to set him up from the beginning. She's a Saiyan, she'd know what evidence would decide things for you, so no doubt she made sure to manufacture the right 'evidence'. She's got the robots' technology to help her; I wouldn't be surprised if she's half-machine herself." 

"You only have Raditz's word for this!" Vegeta snapped again. 

"Well, ask the boy yourself!" Bulma snapped back. 

" _Nani_?" 

"He came back with Goten and Trunks. If Raditz can talk to him, I'm sure you can, too. He said it had something to do with having been a ghost once, he remembered how to see spirits..." Bulma trailed off uncertainly. 

Vegeta clenched his fists and relaxed them. He'd tasted death twice now, and would again. The first time had been only a few short hours, and his living memory had quickly forgotten what was beyond mortal comprehension. The second time... he remembered all too much. His fingers twitched as his mind caressed the unforged essence of the deadly black spirit blade that severed the souls of even immortals from their bodies--but at a cost his mortal frame could not endure. 

"Where is this boy?" he asked harshly. 


	25. Chapter 25

Raditz zoomed low over the city, just cresting the office buildings as he flew in a straight line toward Capsule Corporation. What had happened back there? The incredible explosion to the northeast as he flew toward the city, into which all trace of Naranja disappeared--Goku and Vegeta still missing--none of it boded well. He feared that time was running out faster than anyone thought. 

Even as he touched down lightly on the tarmac outside the huge Capsule Corp hangar where Dr. Briefs worked on the spaceship, nearly a dozen contrails appeared high in the sky. Raditz snarled silently at the sight. They were coming. He clenched his fists, then turned deliberately toward the hangar. The others would have to deal with it; his task was to stop them at the source. 

And how do you know that the source matters, the cynical, self-hating part of his mind asked him. Taking the one functional starship in the world--Vegeta won't be able to catch up to you on Jinkousei, will he, _coward_? 

Raditz's big fists shook. Was he doing this just to flee Vegeta? That was just one side benefit, he tried to tell himself. Someone has to destroy Naranja's power-base. 

You're fleeing in the middle of battle to deal with what is merely a clean-up detail, and you know it! You can fight the robots here and now. Only then you might run into Vegeta, the cynic in him jeered. Or is it that you're tired of being the weakest one, weaker even than the human warriors? 

Raditz gritted his teeth and flushed with shame. He couldn't lie to himself anymore. He feared Vegeta, and he feared the humiliation of being _protected_ by his little brother again. His duty was to stay here and fight the enemy--his knowledge of Naranja might make a difference, and he was strong enough to destroy the robots. He started to turn away from hangar-- 

A small door in the side of the building popped open and Nezumi beckoned frantically at him. 

"Hurry up!" she said as he ducked in the door. "We've managed to clear the area, but we can't keep 'em away forever. Sooner or later, the government will send teams in, or we'll have to admit it was a false alarm--" 

It was too late. He'd already set things in motion; perhaps it was cowardice sending him to Jinkousei, but it would be cowardice to back out now, after Nezumi and the others had risked much on his word... 

"Never mind that. Did you get the computer core?" 

"Yes, it's in the ship, but you didn't tell me how to hook it up, and Dr. Briefs is getting curious--he might _do_ something with it!" Nezumi anxiously brushed a strand of brown hair back from her face. 

Raditz grunted something incoherent and ran for the main hatch. No telling what might happen if Dr. Briefs decided to hook the core up and start analyzing it; at best he might succeed in wiping all the information Raditz so desperately needed, at worst... it might still have a self-destruct charge attached to discourage unauthorized use. 

Behind him, Nezumi pursed her lips and returned to the hangar office. One last thing to get--her suitcase, and that box set of capsule vehicles that Bulma always used when exploring. They might be useful on Jinkousei. 

Nezumi hesitated after picking up the box of capsules. She hadn't mentioned her plans to Lina or Raditz. Raditz didn't need to be told; he'd find out soon enough, but Lina... Lina was her roommate and friend. She didn't deserve to be left hanging, wondering what the heck had happened to her best friend. And then there was her mother. 

"Darn it!" she said to no one in particular as she got out a pen and scribbled a note. "I'm just too nice for my own good." 

* * *

It didn't take long for Raditz to hook the pod's computer up to the ship's computer. Dr. Briefs' latest ship was a re-build of his previous ship, which was a re-build of the ship before that, all the way back to the first ship that Dr. Briefs had built around the engine and computer of a Saiyan pod--Raditz's pod, to be precise. He had re-engineered the engine, scaled it up and improved upon it, and he'd done the same with the computer--but the standards and protocols remained the same. The old inventor saw no good reason to make his inventions incompatible with what worked before, and in the beginning, his devices had to work with the Saiyan ones. 

Or rather, Raditz reflected as he jiggled the connections, Frieza's devices. The Saiyans had not developed any of the technology themselves; they merely used what their patrons in the interstellar community provided. They adapted the technology to suit themselves, but invention was not one of their racial proclivities. 

Raditz gently pressed the switch that sent power to the pod's computer. He always pressed switches gently; Saiyan strength tended to break things that were not carefully handled. Even on Vegetasei, where the very trees had been as strong as the Saiyajin, one learned to move carefully. The world punished the clumsy. Thus, a Saiyan trained to direct and control his strength from early childhood; a true warrior used his strength against his enemies and his prey; only an oaf carelessly destroyed nearby objects. And the people and things of the weak, soft worlds like earth were so terribly easy to destroy... 

It had been a point of pride among the Saiyans who worked for Frieza that they never killed anyone by accident. 

Raditz probed the pod computer's memory, extracting the coordinates of its origin. _Jinkousei_. It really did come from that accursed planet. Jinkousei. Frieza had written the planet off; by all reports it was a blasted, radioactive wasteland inhabited only by roving death machines. It had no notable resources, and after the disasterous activation of the war machines by the Saiyans sent to clear the world, its value as a colony planet was nil. Unsaleable, it was not worth expending crews to clear off the robots, so it had been abandoned. 

So he had always heard. But Perejil had told him a different story, of a verdant, heavily jungled world inhabited by a colony of stranded Saiyans and hunted by robotic killers. But Perejil was dead, and Naranja supposedly the last survivor of that colony... What had happened? How had Frieza's killers been deceived? And what happened to send Perejil to Earth with Naranja on his heels? _Why had she murdered Perejil?_

The pod's records confirmed Perejil's story in one respect: the pod was registered to Sub-commander Naranja, but the last passenger had been a young male Saiyan. It had been an old pod, too--dating from around the destruction of Vegetasei, and lacked the booby-traps of the newer models that Vegeta and Nappa had used. 

One thing stood out above all others in significance: the pod had been programmed with Earth's coordinates, by Naranja. She'd meant to come here, even before Perejil stole the pod. And she'd brought a fleet with her. How deep did her plans go? 

Raditz pressed another switch, the one that started the upload of Jinkousei's data from the pod's computer to the ship's navigation computer. Whatever Naranja's plans, wherever she was, the others would have to handle it. He'd have to trust that Bulma was smart enough, and Goku and Vegeta and the others strong enough to defeat the robots here. Raditz was going _there_ , to Jinkousei, to cut off the root and source. 

...and to get away from Vegeta, the cynic in him mocked again. 

* * *

Why was it always harder for him than for Kakarott? Vegeta snarled inwardly. First, the Super-Saiyan, now this... Curse Kakarott! He'd made it look so easy, the way he'd turned to listen when Vegeta was dead. Now, living once again, Vegeta found that looking into the spirit world was not so easy a thing. 

He tried to relax, to listen for things unseen, but his nature forbade it. Vegeta never relaxed; he'd learned too young never to let his guard down. Still, he'd learned to listen to his ki-sense once he knew the possibility existed. It was like feeling ki, this watching for spirits, but the ki was impossibly distant--no, that was not it, it was.. thin, spread fine like a mist, but close by. Yes, that was it. Look for the fine mist, instead of the inner light that was living ki. 

Vegeta opened his eyes, focusing not on the house or the people or the hills beyond, but looking for that fine mist of being--there! The form took shape and color as Vegeta learned how to focus on it--a Saiyan boy, dressed in old, faded armor, gaunt and thin. Half-starved, Vegeta judged--a tortured existance for a Saiyan. The boy looked back at the Prince of the Saiyajin, nervous, hesitant; then he said something. 

Vegeta realized he'd been looking, but not listening; the words escaped him. "<What did you say?>" he growled in _Saiya-go_. 

The boy jumped back at the sharp tone in his voice. " <You are the Prince Vegeta? Please, I hope you understand me. Only one other did-->" 

"<I understand you. How do you come to be here, and when did you die?>" Vegeta folded his arms, still skeptical. 

The boy curled his tail tightly around his waist. "<I came here in the witch Naranja's pod, Prince Vegeta, from the world we lived on. My father said it was called _Jinkousei_ , because of the robots.>" He stopped and clenched his fists. "<The robots _she_ controls! >" 

Vegeta leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "<How long ago?!?>" 

The boy shook his head. "<I don't know. Time is-->" He shrugged and held out his hands. "<I don't know. But the grass under my pod was still green when you destroyed the witch Naranja's ship.>" 

" _Nani_??" Vegeta's eyes widened. " <When _I_ destroyed Naranja's ship? When did I do this--Ah! The ship of the robots! >" 

"<Yes, Highness. That was the witch Naranja's ship, and she controlled the robots.>" The boy nodded. 

"Damn her!" Vegeta growled. "She must have ordered her own machines to attack her in order to trick us!" He frowned. "<Who are you, boy?>" 

The young Saiyan looked at the ground. "<I once was Perejil, son of Sergeant Lechuge, Highness. Now I am only a ghost, and I must protect Zan... and the two boys. Goten can hear me, but he does not understand, and Naranja hates him and the purple-haired boy.>" 

Vegeta hissed, the sound of sharply indrawn breath. "<Torunksu?? She _dares_ plot against my heir?? And why do you call her 'the witch' Naranja? >" 

Perejil spread his hands in confusion. "<She is evil. She hates and kills where there is no fight to be had, even those who serve her loyally. She lied to everyone about the robots so we would obey her. She controls the machines, which hate all living people. Is she not a witch of the old tales, who did evil, and deceived, and controlled monsters?>" Perejil's hands dropped to his side again. "<I did not know Torunksu was your son, Highness. But the witch looks at him like she looked at me and my sister, right before-- right before-->" Perejil broke off, his fists clenched and his teeth gritted. 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed again. "<What did she do, boy?>" He said harshly. 

"<Do not ask me!>" Perejil's eyes were wide, pleading. 

Vegeta was implacable. "<I must know. What did she do?>" 

"<She-- she killed them, all of them. But my mother was first, then my father. I do not know why. Mother saw her coming and sent me away with Zana, to protect her, then. She said it wasn't my fault. Why would it be my fault, Prince Vegeta?>" 

Vegeta closed his eyes. "<I do not know, Perejil. Why did she kill the others?">

Perejil shook his head. "<I don't know. I was hiding Zana then. She turned the robots on them, and killed those who escaped the robots, and send the robots searching for us. I knew we couldn't hide from them forever, so I slipped into the town and stole her pod. They would chase me, you see, and Zana could get away, or they would chase Zana, and I would find the other Saiyans to fight the witch Naranja.>" 

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "<Other Saiyans? What do you know of them?>" 

Perejil looked puzzled. "<I do not know much about you, highness, or the warrior with the strange name--Goukuu? But Naranja knew there were Saiyajin on this world, that is why she came here.>" He shrugged. "<More than that, I do not know.>" 

Vegeta pondered what Perejil had said-- 

The robots struck. 

* * *

Consciousness returned to Naranja in flashes of light and pain. Overhead, lines of light streaked from one horizon to the other; below, half buried in the rubble of her own destruction, Naranja's seared and broken body twitched spasmodically. Each granule of dirt on her seared skin was a splash of pain; she struggled to move her fingers and push the gravel and dirt away. 

What had happened? Who had dared to attack her? Naranja wondered dully. She had nearly died, and should be in a tank now. Why had they left her here? 

_Too close proximity to limpet detonation._

Yes... she thought tiredly. Too close to the limpets. She'd foolishly ignored the warnings-- 

Bardock had been far closer. 

But they'd been aimed at Vegeta. And she shouldn't have been so close, she'd been warned-- 

Bardock had been far closer! 

It knew how powerful the limpets were--hadn't it warned her away? And it had been right. And it had known how much closer Bardock was... 

It mustn't know she suspected its treachery. She must keep her thoughts to herself, and use the machines until she was ready to-- don't think it! Darkness wavered at the edges of her consciousness. One command she had to give-- 

Pick me up, Naranja commanded. Get me into a tank... 

_Acknowledged. Command forwarded to secondary command vessel_. 

Naranja plunged back into blackness again, taking the command of the Jinkousei machines with her--for the command intelligence that whispered in her mind was formed from her own brain and the artificial memories and algorithms stored in the Jinkoseian command nano-net. 

Another black wedge landed on the cratered, broken earth and disgorged robots-- not massively armored warbots, but the weaker, more utilitarian repair mechs of the robot fleet. The machines did not have the regeneration tanks that Frieza and the Saiyans used--but they could rebuild almost anything. 

* * *

Raditz rested his hands lightly on the controls. He had the coordinates programmed in, the ship was fueled, fully supplied, and ready to launch. There remained only a few details... 

"Now don't forget, you have to be in orbit before you activate the deep space drive," Dr. Briefs reminded Raditz for about the twentieth time. "You launch and land with the standard rockets, but--" 

Raditz nodded his head impatiently. "Yeah, I got it. Drive would implode or something because of the excess mass." He turned his head slightly, bringing Nezumi into view. She leaned against the aft bulkhead, arms folded and a frown on her face. 

Raditz indicated the bridge door with a jerk of his head. "Zumi, see that Dr. Briefs and Mrs. Briefs get a safe distance from the city." 

Nezumi nodded. "I'll see to it," she answered. The lack of argument surprised Raditz; he'd expected Nezumi to insist on coming along. "You sure you got enough food?" she asked as she gently shoved Dr. Briefs toward the door. 

"More than enough, even for me," Raditz said to Nezumi's departing back. "Enough to keep me fed for a year or so." 

Everything was ready to go. Time to open the hangar and seal the hatches. 

* * *

Vegeta turned to ask Kakarott a question-- 

Dozens of silvery glints streaked across the sky towards Muten-roshi's island, leaving white contrails behind them-- 

"BEHIND YOU!" Vegeta yelled. He lunged with Saiyan speed, grabbing Bulma and Trunks and throwing them to the ground, his powerful body between them and danger. 

Goku's head snapped up, his eyes widening. "Gohan! Protect your brother! I have your mother and Grandpa!" As he spoke, he grabbed Chichi around the waist and Ox King by the back of his collar and with a brief gesture, vanished in a flicker of light-- 

\--only to appear under another onslaught of silver disks at Piccolo's temple. 

"Here, too?" Another gesture, and Goku vanished again. 

Kulilin, Tenshenhan, even Yamucha--was everyone being attacked?? In desperation, he flashed to the great temple of heaven, where Dende watched all that passed. No silver robots streaked toward them, in that sacred place no machine could find. 

* * *

KRACKOOM! Hot white power streaked into the ground from Vegeta's hand, blasting a shaft deep into the ground. 

"Gohan," Vegeta growled, glancing over his shoulder at the oncoming warbots as he picked up a somewhat ruffled Bulma in one arm and Trunks in the other, "Stop any that run ahead of the main body." He lowered Bulma, then Trunks to the bottom of the shaft. "Keep your head down, woman!" 

"Vegeta, if you think I'm going to sit at the bottom of a hole--" Vegeta had already vanished in the sky above. Bulma folded her arms and pouted. Well, he was trying to protect her, but sitting in the bottom of a hole while the battle raged above wasn't her idea of fun. 

"Hey, I want to fight too!" yelled Trunks. He concentrated and started to drift upwards. Bulma grabbed him by one ankle. 

"Oh, no you don't! You are not going up there to get shot up by a bunch of robots! Besides, you'll distract your dad, and I don't want Vegeta distracted when he's tossing around enough power to vaporize a planet!" 

Trunks scowled. "Oh, all right." He glanced up as the sky suddenly darkened. "Besides--" 

"Yikes!" Bulma squeezed to the side just in time to avoid being hit by a falling pig. "Oolong! You idiot, watch where you're falling! You almost squashed me!" 

The pig _hengeyoki_ glared at Bulma as he rubbed his buttocks, wincing. "You could have caught me! Those rocks hurt!" 

Bulma glared back at him, scowling. Sitting in the bottom of a hole with a lecherous pig while the battle raged above was even further from her idea of fun. 

Then Muten-roshi landed on top of Oolong and it was _really_ crowded. 

* * *

"GOTEN, GET DOWN! HIDE!" Gohan darted into the sky, his first blast blowing a saucer-shaped robot from the sky. As if in answer, a swarm of black darts spat from the saucers and converged on him as the saucers continued to plunge downward. 

Goten froze. Those were the things that killed his friend Perejil! 

Vegeta glanced up. "Gohan, destroy those things before they hit you!" The stocky Saiyan prince rose into the air, power crackling around his body as his hair rose, glowing incandescent, turning into gold. 

"MA-SEN-KO!" A stupendous bolt of power sped from Gohan's outthrust hands toward the flying bombs. Caught in the wavefront of power, the black wasps crumbled, shattered and were gone, as did one of the saucers behind them. 

"Bah! A careless waste of power!" Vegeta snapped as he extended both hands, casting a flurry of small bolts alternately from each hand. The tiny bolts fanned out, intersecting the incoming bomb darts and destroying them. In the time it took to destroy the darts, the saucers made it to the ground and began to unlimber their main weapons. 

Gohan paled; there were too many for him and Vegeta to stop before they could fire! In his fear for Goten, he didn't even notice his own hair flare to molten gold. 

Goten unfroze and darted for the hole in the ground as the first of the saucers touched down and unfolded its crab-like legs. Terror drove him; terror in the eyes of Perejil as he frantically beckoned from the mouth of the deep shaft. The robots--over twenty of them--swivelled their weapon arms, pointing six-barrelled guns at Gohan, Vegeta and Goten. 

They fired. 


	26. Chapter 26

Goten ran as fast as he could, faster than he ever had, but the hole was still so far away-- he stumbled. Then someone picked him up by the middle and flung him into the hole as the hellishly powerful fusion beams howled just over his head. Goten caught a glimpse of hair and a face like his father's, looking down at him, golden-bronze skin and flashing dark eyes and one wicked scar across his cheek. The Saiyan grinned down at him and winked as the fusion beams howled through and past him without touching. Then he vanished. 

Goten raised one hand and waved up at the vanished figure. Once, he had mistaken his rescuer for his father--he knew better this time. "Thank you, Grandpa." 

Perejil looked up with Goten, a look of astonishment, awe and an elusive hope on his ghostly face. Then he, too, vanished. 

Z-Z-Z-Z-ZZAACKKKK! Up above, Gohan dodged, then staggered as six beams clipped him. Six beams as powerful as the beams that had staggered Cell a few short years ago. Gohan reeled from the unexpected attack. 

Vegeta dodged and twisted, landing deliberately on top of one of the robots. The intersecting beams twisted away, as the robots' targetting algorithms forbade them from shooting each other, then re-converged. Too late; Vegeta plunged his fist through the armored hull of the saucer under his feet and blew it apart from within. 

* * *

Raditz hesitated, studying the incoming streaks out the viewscreen. He should defend the city from the attackers-- 

No! No more hesitation; it was time to launch before the robots landed and destroyed Dr. Brief's spaceship. One thick finger plunged down and pressed the 'LAUNCH' button. 

The great engines thundered as the white sphere tore through the sheet metal roof of the hangar and rose into the sky. Raditz's hand hovered near the switch that would activate the compression field--and seal the ship off from the physical universe. He waited, watching the blue sky darken to indigo, then black. Dozens, then tens of dozens of blips appeared on the radar screen. 

Raditz stared at the radar screen, appalled. More blips appeared every second; how many of the robot ships were there? And every one loaded with several of the crab-like death machines. There was no way Goku and the others could stop all of them, stop the carnage they carried... 

Raditz balled his hand into a fist and softly punched it into his other hand. He could deal with the robots in orbit now... but it would mean delay, might cost him the ship, end the mission he set himself-- 

\--and what of Nezumi and the Briefs and all the others back home? Back... home. Already, Earth and its cities had become home to him. How many years since he'd come here, prepared to "clear" the planet of its inhabitants--the inhabitants he now meant to protect. 

No. He would not let them die! Even as Raditz made his decision, four blips in formation broke away from their re-entry track, converging on his orbit. 

* * *

Above the city, Yamucha and Saisei fought a desperate battle. At first, young Saisei had tried to fight the machines one at a time, desperately, clumsily--the swarms of implacable machines were nothing like the villains of the Dark Ribbon Army. Yamucha had nearly died twice, protecting him--then the _other_ memories had awoken, bitter memories of a warrior who had fought many such battles with war machines--and it was Kale's turn to save Yamucha from _his_ inexperience in fighting enemies that could not be intimidated or worn down. 

Wasp-like bomb darts buzzed around them; nearly a dozen silver saucers lay in smoking ruin up and down the city streets, metal legs frozen at awkward angles. Saisei's grin was feral, inhuman; the battle light gleamed in his eyes as he flung barrage after barrage of tiny ki-bolts. The machines died. 

Out in the country, only the combined forcefields of Seventeen and Eighteen protected Marron and Kulilin from the full fury of the robots attack. They could keep it up forever, holding the child between them--but while the forcefields held at full power, neither android could attack. To lower their fields, even for an instant to attack, would doom the child. It was up to Kulilin to stop the robots. Stop them he did, disk after disk of lethal energy slicing the machines asunder. But he was tiring, and the robots kept coming... 

Piccolo fought his own lonely battle in the bubbling ruins of the ancient temple. The power that had balked Cell shattered machine after machine, sending them to crash in burning heaps of metal, and that same skill and power kept Piccolo dodging and stopping wave after wave of the deadly bomb darts. 

Elsewhere, the defenses of Earth did not fare so well. Military bases, airports, harbors--all felt the fury of the Jinkouseian assault. Artillery shells merely bounced off the massively armored shells of the warbots, and no human defenses could withstand the nuclear fury of the robotic weapons. 

* * *

Raditz stepped out into the emptiness of space from the airlock, using his ki to draw the air about him in a tightly compressed shell. He slung a breathing mask and a spacesuit's bottle of compressed oxygen over one shoulder; it might be a long battle. Raditz tapped the button on his scouter, bringing it to life. He bared his teeth in a feral grin as the scouter picked up the energy signature of four robot ships. 

"You're mine, you bastards!" 

He used his ki to move himself away from his orbiting ship, not wanting to shift the vessel's orbit by the hair that kicking off from it physically would have. Power gathered in his hands and seethed through his body, sending him hurtling toward the distant blips his scouter picked out from the infinite starry darkness. 

The robot ships did not deviate from their course; Raditz himself was too small for the ships to recognize as much of anything, let alone a threat. He drove forward as the scouter ticked off range and bearing to the enemy ships, forward until he could see the sun dully gleaming from their flat black hulls. Raditz was now very close indeed. 

White power gathered in his hands; Raditz brought them together in an explosive burst of purple-tinged white light.. 

"MAN-KI-BATSU!" 

The great beam ravened through space, slamming into the nearest hull. It vanished in a silent explosion of actinic light. Raditz smirked. 

"Don't have forcefields, do you?" he asked the vanished ship, as the remaining three suddenly corkscrewed away, trying to evade the attacker they could not detect. It did them no good. 

"WARNING! WARNING! Ten objects detected on intercept course!" Raditz's scouter flashed a warning transmitted from the Capsule Corp ship's computer as the last of the original four ships vanished in another flash of light. 

Crud. They're taking the ship seriously, now that I've disposed of four of theirs. I can't use Man-ki-batsu on all of them; takes too much energy, Raditz thought as he unslung the breathing mask and slipped it on. This is going to be a long fight. 

* * *

Gohan shook himself like a bull that had just been punched in the nose, shrugging off the staggering attack. An angry light flared in turquoise eyes, and lightning crackled through the young half-Saiyan's aura. 

"You tried to kill my brother!" Gohan shouted at the shining metal monsters. His hands cupped at his side-- 

"KA--" 

Less than twenty of the robots remained, their attention randomly split between Vegeta and Gohan. Vegeta's eyes widened; the robot's deadly plasma bolts, bolts that had staggered Gohan before, now just splashed against his aura like so much rain. 

"ME--" 

Vegeta gritted his teeth and dodged the deadly beams. Would he ever be the equal of this spirit-child? Two quick bursts with either hand, and the spike-haired Saiyan prince destroyed two more robots. 

"HA--" 

It mattered not. Gohan was Gohan, not Kakarott, and no rival to Vegeta. Although Gohan could use some hardening up, Vegeta thought critically, if he were to fight alongside his prince-- 

"--ME-HA!" The brilliant white sphere of energy arced through the robots, blasting them apart, twisting this way and that to catch each one of them until it hit the last big knot of them--- 

WHOOOOOMMM! 

The last of the robots disappeared in a brilliant flash, blinding Vegeta. A billowing cloud of smoke hid the destruction from Vegeta's view as his dazzled eyes began to clear. 

And that attack! Vegeta marveled; for years he'd watched Kakarott and Gohan in combat, and yet the subtleties of the Ka-meha-meha eluded him. He could normally understand and quickly teach himself any attack he'd seen used, but there was something deceptive about the apparent simplicity of Kakarott's signature attack. For one thing, it scaled perfectly. In all his years of combat, Vegeta had never seen an energy technique like that. Every Saiyan knew that a given technique was suitable for a certain strength, but had a minimum strength below which it could not even be done, and a maximum limit beyond which the technique got no more powerful, no matter how strong the user. Vegeta himself had invented many new techniques as he grew in power far beyond the training of his ancestors; he'd had to, or his attacks would have been no more powerful than those he'd used as a child, in spite of becoming the Super-Saiyan. Energy attacks simply didn't scale-- 

\--but Kakarott's Ka-meha-meha did. And hadn't he heard Bulma say something about Kakarott learning it from the old man? Bah! That had to be a myth--no feeble human who could barely wield enough ki to lift a water glass could design a better technique than the Saiyans! 

Engrossed in his thoughts, half-blinded by smoke, confident that the fight was over, Vegeta did not see the incoming wasp-bombs until they hit him. 

* * *

That was a long fight, Raditz thought as he flew wearily back to the waiting ship. Wish Dr. Briefs had build remote control capability into the scouters.... Matching vectors when I'm this tired is a pain, and I'm low on air. 

Behind, above, beyond, the smashed shards of robotic ships littered a hundred skewed orbits with metallic trash. Scattered among the debris like handfuls of spilled silver beads, stranded robots drifted in the same random orbits. Raditz had not had the strength to completely annihilate all the robot ships the way he had the first four; but he broken them open, smashed their engines and hulls, leaving their deadly armored passengers to find their own way home. 

The robots were stranded; they had no form of propulsion that worked well enough in vacuum to insert them into a re-entry orbit. Their deadly weapons could not reach the surface. All they could to was target any orbitting object that came in range that wasn't one of them. 

* * *

Kulilin was in trouble. Goku frowned as he sensed his friends weakening ki, and put two fingers to his forehead. 

"Goku!" Chi-chi shrieked. "Hurry, and save Goten! And Gohan!" 

Goku blinked. "Gohan's okay," he said, "and he'll protect Goten, but Kulilin is--" Goku vanished, so hurried that he interrupted himself and left Chi-chi with her mouth hanging open, about to speak. 

"GOKU!" Kulilin greeted the orange-garbed hero with a joyous shout. "Look out behind you!" he added. 

"Yipe!" Goku barely dodged the sextet of plasma beams that slashed past his back, singing his gi. His hair flashed with sudden gold, and glowing power gathered in his hands as he cupped them at his side. 

"KA-ME-HA-MEHA!" 

Goku ended the battle just as quickly as Gohan had... but unlike Vegeta, neither Kulilin nor the androids let their guard down. Wary, they looked for more enemies-- but there were none incoming. 

Kulilin swallowed hard. "Thanks, Goku!" He rubbed the short, stubby black hair on the back of his head. "I was getting a little tired there." 

Goku smiled at his old friend with that wide-eyed "aw-shucks" expression that Kulilin knew so well. Kulilin grinned back. 

Goku's smile faltered, and he glanced off into the distance. "People are still getting hurt." Goku looked back at his short friend, and the androids beside him. "Hiya, Seventeen, Eighteen--or do I call you Mrs. Kulilin now?" 

Eighteen hugged Marron tightly to her and grimaced slightly. "Eighteen will do just fine, Goku," she answered. 

Kulilin glanced at Eighteen, a mute appeal written on his face. Eighteen nodded slightly. 

"Ah, as soon as I catch my breath I'll come help you, Goku," Kulilin said. "I think Eighteen will be protecting Marron. Seventeen?" 

Seventeen frowned, and glanced at Eighteen. She put one hand on her hip and glared back at her brother. He shrugged. "Sure, why not? Might be fun, might get a chance to get back at those lousy tin cans." 

* * *

"WARNING! WARNING! Twenty-seven objects detected on intercept course!" 

Raditz cursed; not again! He barely had enough strength left to return to his ship. Wearily he turned, facing the approaching ships. Only one thing to do... focus, focus-- 

"KAIO-KEN!" Red fire flared around Raditz as he focused and balanced his remaining energy, reviving him. "Should have done this the first time," he growled to himself. The long-maned Saiyan squinted, almost cross-eyed as he studied the readout on his scouter. Something about the robot ships' formation-- 

"DAMN!" It was a great funnel, the leading edges of the wide mouth sweeping around to envelop his ship. When that funnel closed, the Capsule Corp ship would be englobed, at the center point and focus of every ships weapon. There was no way he could take out all the robot ships before they targetted his helplessly drifting ship! 

Suddenly, his ship sprang to life, thrusters kicking in as the ship darted forward, ahead of the closing funnel mouth. Raditz blinked in astonishment. 

"What the hell? Who's driving that thing?" Briefs must have made the computer a lot smarter than I thought. Raditz smirked as the robot ships curved in, trying to close the trap ahead of the hurtling sphere--and circled ever closer to the too-small-to-detect Saiyan warrior. 

Raditz brought his palms together, fingertips pointing "up". This, he mused, had always been one of young Vegeta's favorite finishing moves for a mass battle-- 

A vast soundless flash of light and force flared from Raditz's body, ravening outward in all directions. The wavefront smashed into the robotic ships with the force of a nuclear blast, crumbling them and sending what was left outward in a vast spray of debris. Secondary explosions lit the sky as power cells and weaponry shattered under the force-wave of ki. The ki-wave halted just beyond the ring of former ships as Raditz intended, not touching the fleeing Capsule Corp ship, but the light and radiation from the secondary explosions went on forever, ever diminishing over distance. 

In the center of the destruction, Raditz sprawled weightlessly, utterly exhausted. All of his power had gone into the deadly radial attack; he couldn't even move himself back to the ship he'd fought so hard to save. He just barely held onto control of the shell of air around his body; as it was, he so desperately wanted to relax, let it go, and sleep... 

No. That way lay death. Raditz wasn't ready to go back to Hell so soon, not when the job was unfinished. Had that been the last of the robots in orbit? Surely the ship would have relayed a warning if there were any more. 

Get back to the ship. He had to get back to the ship. Raditz labored to breathe the increasingly foul air; all of his attention focused on holding the air shell around his body. Would the ship come if he asked it? It was smarter than he'd thought. If he could split his concentration just enough to activate the scouter's transmitter-- 

"Help." 

* * *

Hours later, even Goku was tired. By the time Goku, Kulilin, Seventeen, Yamucha, Saisei, Piccolo, Tenshenhan and Chao-Tzu arrived at what was left of Muten-Roshi's island, the robots were gone--smashed, burned, disintegrated. The heroes had destroyed every war machine that attacked Earth. The battle was over. 

Goku's brow furrowed with worry as he dropped down beside Gohan and Bulma. Vegeta lay on the ground unconscious, his bloody head cradled in Bulma's arms. 

"Is he dead?" Kulilin blurted, then blushed as Bulma glared up at him. 

She next looked at Goku, biting her lip. "Goku, is there any--do you have any senzu left? Vegeta is badly hurt." 

Goku shook his head. "No." He looked around, spotted Goten sitting on Gohan's shoulder. "There you are, little man! Chi-chi's worried sick about you!" He noted the others. "I see everyone else is okay." His face lightened and a smile re-appeared as the worry lifted from his brows. 

* * *

Raditz groaned and opened his eyes. For a moment he stared blankly at the overhead, forgetting where he was. His chest hurt, a tearing pain cutting through his lungs with every breath. He'd tried to breathe vacuum again. Was he back at Base 29, or was this one of Frieza's ships? No, no, this was-- 

"AAAAAARRRGGGGHHHH!" Raditz snapped out of his daze to full alertness as a careless foot crushed his tail. 

"YIKES! Ohmygod, I'm sorry!" Nezumi jumped suddenly back. "Well, at least you're awake--I tried to put you to bed, but you're too heavy!" She brushed a wayward strand of mouse-brown hair out of her face and looked sheepish. "Um, are you okay?" 

... Dr. Briefs' spaceship! He was in the spaceship again--Nezumi must have brought the ship back and dragged him inside, but what was Nezumi doing here? 

END OF PART II


	27. Chapter 27

#  Part III. Jinkousei

"You're not supposed to be here!" Raditz glared at Nezumi as he hauled himself to his feet. 

"That's one opinion," Nezumi snapped. "It's not mine!" 

The big Saiyan staggered, and caught himself against a wall. Exhaustion dragged at him; Raditz felt as if he were working out against a hundred gravities. He shook his head and staggered toward the ladder leading up to the bridge. 

"You can't come with me. I'm taking you back." 

Nezumi gritted her teeth. Screaming at Raditz would not get her point across. "Why? I hardly think your mission is so secret that I can't even be along--and are you really going to go to all the trouble of landing, tying me up--because I sure as hell won't cooperate in being left behind!--and re-playing this whole take-off and getaway we just went through? What happened to all the urgency of getting to Jinzo--Jinko-whatever?" 

"It's too dangerous for you," Raditz growled. "I'm not risking it." 

"EXCUSE ME??" Nezumi bristled, clenching her fists at her sides. "I AM NOT A CHILD!" She blushed and forced herself to speak normally instead of shouting. 

"I am an _adult_ , and can make my own decisions! It's my life to risk, not yours!" Nezumi pointed an angry finger at the long-haired Saiyan who towered over her, scowling. "You can just wipe that scowl off your face, mister, and sit down and shut up!" 

Raditz swayed, squinting to force the black spots out of his vision. Short and fiesty, wouldn't take 'No' for an answer--Rings and Moon, she reminded him of 'Aunt' Celipa! And she did blow up Enforcer...Treating her like a child insulted her honor. But Nezumi was weak, she had to be protected! 

"I'm too tired to argue," he growled softly as he pulled himself up the ladder, one rung at a time. 

"You're not going back!" Nezumi swarmed up after Raditz. 

"We'll see... but I still have to get this thing moving. Sitting in the middle of a field of angry robots does not top my list of 'clever things to do while napping'." Raditz dropped heavily into the main command chair and started pressing buttons. His tail hung limply over one arm of the chair. 

He set up two flight plans, one to take the ship out of the system, and an alternate course that de-orbited the vessel and vectored it in to a landing at Capsule Corp. Raditz stared at the two courses on his display, his finger hovering over the button that would select one. Which way to go? Nezumi should go back to safety, but the insult... 

I've changed, Raditz thought wryly. Must be Kakarott's fault. Thirty years ago, my only worry about this weak Earth woman would have been that the second it took to kill her would delay us in filling Frieza's quota. Now I'm torn between protecting her and respecting her honor as a warrior. Why?!? She's no Saiyan, she doesn't even have the strength of humans like Kulilin! 

...like Bulma. And look what trouble that caused! Raditz growled to himself and his finger stabbed down-- 

"ARRGGGHHH!" Pain, blinding, tearing pain radiated from his tail, paralyzing the big Saiyan before he could finish. He slumped against the console and rolled out of the command chair, sending fresh waves of paralyzing, weakening pain from the root of his tail. 

"Oh no you don't!" Nezumi snapped, squeezing Raditz's furry tail with both hands. "I said you're not going back, and I meant it!" She shifted her grip on Raditz's tail, clamping down with the left hand as she reached over to the console with her right. 

Click. Click. "Course selected. Compression field activated," the ship's computer chimed. 

"Please..." Raditz whimpered, his fingers clawing weakly at the deck."Please stop. You can do whatever you want! PLEASE!" 

"You promise you won't try to take me back against my will?" Nezumi asked, still holding Raditz's tail firmly. 

"YES! JUST LET GO, PLEASE!" 

"Hmmph!" Nezumi opened her hand, letting Raditz's bruised tail slip away. 

Raditz leaped to his feet, rage lending him fresh strength. "Fool woman! Do you have any idea what you just did?" He trembled with anger, the blood pounding through his veins. He wanted to grab her and smash her across the room for insult and pain she'd just given him. But... he didn't dare touch her. She would break if he touched her. 

Nezumi stepped back abruptly as the furious Saiyan loomed over her. Raditz's brows furrowed angrily; his fists clenched and the veins at his temple stood out. His tail lashed angrily, out of reach. 

She stared back, angry herself. How dare he try to bully her! 

"Yes," she snapped. "I got you to take me seriously!" Nezumi put her hands on her hips and glared up at the infuriated warrior. 

"Take you _seriously_?!? Woman, do you have any idea what you are all alone with? Do you take _me_ seriously?" Raditz's eyes widened slightly, and his fists unclenched. His tail slowed its angry lashing; it switched back and forth behind him. 

"Hmmph! If I didn't take you seriously, I wouldn't have grabbed your tail!" she said emphatically. "You're just bull-headed enough to go right ahead and deliver me back to Capsule Corp, in spite of what I wanted." She folded her arms, and continued to glare at Raditz. 

"You're a stowaway! Woman--" 

"The name is NEZUMI, or have you forgotten that already?" she snapped. 

Raditz gritted his teeth. "Nezumi," he growled, "I am going into danger, and you are too weak to survive." 

"Oh really? Were you planning to walk home from Jinkousei?" 

"What?" 

"This ship isn't nearly as tough as you are. If it's that dangerous, you'll lose this ship. Is this a suicide mission?" Nezumi stared into Raditz's eyes, not glancing away. 

"No! And I don't plan to lose my ship!" he snarled. How had she put him on the defensive? 

"Good! I'll stay with the ship, and I'll be safe enough. Now that that's decided, you go to your bunk before you collapse." Nezumi poked the air with an emphatic finger. 

Raditz blinked. How did she do it? When he came up here, he'd meant to land the ship and haul Nezumi off, no matter how much she fussed. After all, she had no more chance than a kitten of opposing him... 

...yet to do that would insult her unforgiveably. She was an adult, and a warrior of sorts. To treat her like a child, to attempt to shield her from harm, was a mortal insult to any self-respecting warrior. Doubly so for a potential mate-- 

WHAT AM I THINKING? 

Raditz's tail switched furiously. "Safe enough? You will be trapped in this small ship with _me_ , for weeks, perhaps months..." His scowl changed to a smirk as his gaze took in her small, shapely form. 

"Oh, bother! You are really reaching, mister!" Nezumi turned abruptly as Raditz swayed slightly, then staggered back a few steps. "Right now you can barely stay on your feet. That's it, end of discussion!" Her right hand came down and slapped the big red button labeled "ENGAGE MAIN DRIVE". 

The ship's engines rumbled and roared, sending the starship careening into the void on a course for Jinkousei. 

* * *

A little while later, Nezumi sank trembling into the command chair. Raditz slept the sleep of utter exhaustion in his cabin; he'd barely made it there, collapsing across his bunk without bothering with particulars like undressing or even kicking his boots off. 

Nezumi trembled; reaction set in. What had she gotten herself into? Any sane, sensible person would have stayed home! No one expected her to come along on; she had stowed away. Not exactly, she rationalized to herself--Raditz hadn't actually forbidden her to come in the first place. He'd just assumed she was staying on Earth. 

Why had she come? Nezumi told herself that Raditz needed someone to handle things with the ship, to watch his back. But she couldn't fight _his_ kind of enemies! She'd just be in the way, something for Raditz to worry about, a distraction. 

But... if she stayed behind, he'd journey off into space, alone, and be gone for weeks, months--perhaps forever. Nezumi squeezed her hands together. What if he _died_ out here, all alone? She shivered. 

So she'd come, in defiance of all sense and propriety. Mom's probably having a fit, Nezumi thought. I just abandoned her in a strange city, and disappeared into danger. She absent-mindedly brushed mouse-brown bangs out of her face. That was so rude of me! I should send a message back to her... 

... but then I'd have to explain what I'm doing here. I'll never be able to reassure Mom about this. Nezumi cringed inwardly; it was easier to just avoid talking to Mom about upsetting topics than to face her. At least I left a note for her and Lina. 

* * *

Lina read the note for a third time. "I don't believe this! Nezumi just... just ran away with Raditz!" She glared at Dr. Briefs. "You knew about this, didn't you? What am I going to tell her mother?" 

Dr. Briefs blinked. "Not to worry? The ship is in good shape," he said as he petted the small black kitten that accompanied him everywhere, "and Raditz knows how to handle it quite well. He understands machinery a lot better than Goku. Nezumi even studied up on it herself at the last minute." 

Lina sighed, thinking about Nezumi's attraction to the big, very masculine Saiyan. "I don't think that's what 'Zumi's mother will be worried about..." 

* * *

Raditz woke up with a groan. He ached all over; the hard outer shell of his armor poked him in all the wrong spots. He sat up and slowly dragged off the outer shell and kicked off his boots, 

His stomach growled; Raditz closed his eyes and bowed his head, waiting for the faintness to pass. He needed food! His battered, exhausted body had healed while he slept and now needed replenishment. 

The big saiyan stood, shaking his massive mane out behind him. He growled under his breath and kicked the armor pieces aside, stalking barefooted down the corridor to the ship's small galley. 

Nezumi sat there, at a small steel table that was bolted to the deck. She held a steaming cup of coffee, both hands wrapped around the mug as if to warm them. She looked at Raditz, but continued to sip her coffee in silence. 

He frowned at her, then stalked over to the refrigerator and yanked the door open. Hunger gnawed at his stomach and he grabbed the first thing to hand--a jug of milk--and drank it down. From the top to the bottom, he emptied the refrigerator, not bothering to cook any of it. 

After tossing the larger bones in the general direction of the disposal, Raditz took the last bottle of juice from the cooler and finally poured himself a drink. In a glass. He glanced at Nezumi, who stared back at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. 

"Want some?" He waved the bottle at her. 

"Uhh, no thanks. I've got coffee," she said, holding up her mug. "I knew you had a big appetite, but I don't think there's enough rations for a year of eating like that!" 

Raditz glanced back at the empty cooler and grunted. "Remind me to haul some stores out of the deep freeze and re-fill that." He shook his head. "I only eat like that after a fight. Takes a lot of calories to blow things up." 

"I guess so!" Nezumi still looked slightly stunned. She knew her table manners weren't exactly fit for the royal table, but this! She wrinkled her nose slightly. "I really hope you aren't insisting I clean all that up!" 

"Uh?" He glanced at the gnawed bones and other refuse piled near the disposal. "Oh, that." Raditz glanced slyly at Nezumi through half-closed eyes. "You are a stowaway... working passage is the best you'd normally get." He smirked. "Would be handy to have a deckhand to keep this ship in order. Heh." 

Nezumi's eyes widened. "Raditz! You're not serious! ...Are you?" 

He folded his arms and looked thoughful. "Well..." 

Nezumi clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. If Raditz thought she was going to be his personal galley slave...! 

"...no. I'll clean that mess up, and I said I'd refill the refrigerator." He stretched lazily, muscles rippling under his black bodysuit. "However, I don't cook. If you want something hot, you'll have to cook it yourself." He smirked, and his tail switched lazily to and fro. . 

Nezumi's jaw dropped and she stared at Raditz in disbelief as the big Saiyan sauntered out of the galley without a further word. 

* * *

The next day, Raditz's nose lured him out of the engine room to the galley, where the delectable smell of broiling meat tantalized the hungry Saiyan. He smirked at Nezumi, his tail switching to and fro as she slid the medium-rare steak from the broiler pan onto a plate. 

"Lunch?" he asked, still smirking. 

Nezumi glanced at him, with an odd smirk of her own. "Yes, I thought I'd make myself a bite." She nodded toward the counter. "There's some meat for you, if you're hungry." 

Raditz's smirk abruptly vanished as he noted the still-frozen slab of beef there. He scowled at her and wrapped his tail tightly around his waist. 

Nezumi shrugged and smiled pleasantly. "You said you don't cook." 

"That doesn't mean I don't like good cooked food, woman!" the big Saiyan snarled. 

"Hey, you with the hair! Doesn't mean I'll cook it for YOU, either!" Nezumi picked up her tableware and stalked out, taking the hot, juicy steak to her cabin. 

Raditz stared silently after her, open-mouthed in disbelief. "'Hey, you with the hair'?" he muttered. He shook his head and scowled some more. "All I wanted was some hot food." He picked up the frozen beef and gnawed sullenly at it. "She even left the dirty dishes!" 

Even more sullenly, he slowly cleaned up the mess Nezumi had left. 

The next day, she baked a pie big enough for the two of them. 

* * *

In the days that followed, Raditz discovered two things, one good and one... complicated. The good, nay, delightful discovery was that Nezumi was a truly excellent cook. He'd suspected it, but bowls of popcorn can be made by almost anyone, and one steak hadn't been enough to prove anything. 

The complication: she desired him. Raditz could smell it in the air, most intensely whenever Nezumi saw him. He'd always wondered before; human women were so excitable. A well-muscled laborer with his shirt off, a handsome movie star on the TV, or someone's boyfriend dropping by the office had often been enough to evoke that musky scent from Lina or Nezumi or even Bulma--or for that matter, any woman who wasn't a crone. But now there was nothing besides him and the machinery of the ship--and Raditz was sure that the ship's controls weren't that exciting. 

It was him. Raditz found it pleasantly exciting to be desired. And why not? He was a healthy, powerful Saiyan in his prime--past the clumsiness of youth, still distant from the decline of age. Wasn't he desireable? 

Was he? He'd told her what he was. How could she still desire a mass murderer? Was that a reasonable desire, or was it merely because they were locked in together, with no rivals? Would she still be interested in him when they returned to Earth, where there were many handsome men who were not known killers? 

Raditz... desired her. Nezumi's scent intoxicated him, but he dared not say or do anything. He was Saiyan, and powerful beyond her imagination. She knew that, knew he was a killer--anything he said or hinted at would be taken with that in mind. No matter how he asked, Raditz knew, that awareness of his power and ruthlessness would make any request coercive. Only if she made the first and last move would he know for sure that Nezumi truly wanted his attentions, and did not merely fear his power. 

* * *

Nezumi peeked around the corner of her cabin door, watching for Raditz. I can't keep avoiding him forever, she thought to herself. Well, except over meals. He's just so _interesting_. I could sit and look at him all day. 

We really need to talk, or something-- no, not 'or something'! Nezumi wipe fresh perspiration off her forehead. It's easier just to stay away from him--except that this ship is just too small. God, he probably thinks I'm mad at him! 

So what am I supposed to do, tell him the truth? 'Hi, big boy, you turn me on and I want to make mad monkey-love with you, except I don't think my mom would approve, and I'd rather have a church wedding and all, but I'm not sure if you're the kind of guy I should marry and do you have an opinion on all this?' Sheesh! 

Nezumi bit her lip. No, she'd have to play it cool--don't scare him off, but don't turn him off, either. See if he shows any interest. Then, maybe then, we can talk. 

* * *

In the asteroids, the dim light of the sun glinted off metallic forms here and there. The fleet and the attacking force had been destroyed, but the factories remained. The machines rebuilt; soon, the command authority would be back online; soon, the next attack would begin. 


	28. Chapter 28

Raditz jerked awake and slammed his head into the top of the bunk in his hurry to get away from the nightmare that had trapped him. Rivulets of sweat ran down his face and he bit his lip, hard. 

Damn the nightmares! He had accepted that they were the price he paid for years of bloody deeds, but this last one--ugh! It made no sense; he'd never been a rapist, and he certainly hadn't kept a harem of alien and human pleasure slaves, ever! Mere soldiers didn't rate those kind of perks, and later, when the three of them had been Frieza's special killers, neither Frieza nor Vegeta would have allowed any such 'distractions'... even if Raditz had wanted them. 

And of course Nezumi, Bulma, Lina, Chi-chi, and sundry other human females had featured in the harem. Of course. Why the hell did he dream such things? 

Raditz stumbled to the ship's small shower; he felt like he had rolled in sweat and filth all night long. He turned his face up, letting the great mane of hair fall back and allow the steaming hot water to sluice over his body. They'd feared him, in the nightmare, feared him so much that they did whatever they thought he wanted, before he asked. If he so much as looked at one of them, she offered herself to him in every way--though he could see the trembling, the fear at how he would use them, the self-loathing in them for being unable to refuse... 

Damn! It was his power; he could kill them in an uncaring instant. They were so fragile; he had to _want_ them alive, and they knew it. They were desperate to keep him pleased, for fear of what he'd do to them... and to their families and children. He'd never had to ask them for anything... 

Raditz thought he understood the nightmare. Even if Nezumi acted like she wanted him, he had to refuse her, because fear could drive her to pretend, if she thought that was what Raditz wanted. He had to do more than feign disinterest, he had to actively discourage her. 

Raditz sighed and leaned his forehead against the wall of the shower stall. His big fists clenched and unclenched; long years of discipline kept him from slamming them through the nearest bulkhead. Saiyans who indulged their tempers inside small spacecraft did not survive long. Damn the nightmares! Why'd they have to come back? 

As he was toweling himself dry, Raditz wondered. Come back? When did the nightmares go away? He suddenly realized he'd been free of them until these last few nights aboard ship. When had that started? When he was unconscious after the big fight in orbit... no, before that... He hadn't slept much, he'd been on the run from Vegeta--yes! His eyes opened wide in amazement. 

There had been no nightmares when he slept in Nezumi's bed. 

* * *

Nezumi did not worry about Raditz's nightmares; indeed, she'd quite forgotten what he'd once told her about them. A more mundane matter had caught her attention. 

"I don't believe this!" Nezumi glared at the tiny sliver of soap now dissolving against the shower drain. "Doesn't anyone put back things they use around here? First the shampoo, and now this!" Nezumi jerked both water valves to 'Off'. She snatched a towel off the rack and wrapped it around herself before tiptoeing down the corridor to the supply locker. "At least the big lug should be sleeping off supper at this hour--" 

"What about this hour?" growled Raditz as he looked up from the supply cabinet. "Do you know where the--" The big Saiyan's eyes widened at the sight of Nezumi standing in the middle of the corridor dressed in nothing more than a wet towel. 

"Ahhh!" Nezumi clutched the towel in front of her. "What are you doing here??" 

"Uhh." Raditz looked confused. "Um, the galley needs salt." His face hardened and became impassive. "Why are you here dressed like that?" 

"Because some inconsiderate lout used up all the soap AND shampoo and didn't put any new ones in the shower!" 

"Ah. Here." Raditz reached into the locker and started to hand Nezumi the requisite items. As she stretched her hand out to take them, her fingers brushed his hand; Raditz jerked back as if he'd been stung, then slowly handed the soap and shampoo to her, carefully avoiding her touch. Without a word, he turned on his heel and left. 

Nezumi blinked. What the heck was that all about? Here she was, nearly naked and dripping wet, and Raditz acted like she was contagious! Nezumi sniffed. It was better than being assaulted, but it would have been nice if he'd shown _some_ interest! 

* * *

For the Commander, time was a vortex of blackness, shot through with red flashes of pain. How long she hung there, she did not know--but at last, she awoke. 

At first, she could see nothing but a blinding flash of white. Her eyes adjusted, damping down the incoming light until a picture resolved, jagged at first, then steadily clearing and refining itself. Inside. She was inside a base or ship, repair droids clustered around her. 

Status? the Commander queried silently. 

_Main force destroyed. Reserve force destroyed. Asteroid support units intact and awaiting orders. One emergency support unit on planet._

Where am I? 

_The emergency support unit._

Enemy forces? 

_The majority are intact but dispersed._

Dispersed? Where? 

_Unit designated 'Bardock' located with unit designated 'Gohan' at 13303,2003. Unit 'Raditsu' is off-planet. Unit 'Vegeta' is located in city at 11946,2233. Units B1, B2 and B3--_

Enough! What do you mean, Raditsu is off-planet? And who is the minority that is not intact? 

_Unit 'Vegeta' was severely damaged by bombdroid attack and is believed to be repairing at the designated location. Raditsu departed the planetary system in a local spacecraft after destroying reserve forces in orbit._

The Commander arose, light glinting from metal as she did so. She stretched and flexed steel arms. For the first time, she spoke aloud. "So the coward has fled Vegeta's vengeance--and Vegeta himself is injured! Bardock did some good. Instruct the asteroid units to build a new main and reserve force; this planet must be cleansed of threats." 

_Acknowledged._

"Give me a full evaluation of my own combat capability. There is much to be done." 

* * *

"Um, Raditz?" The gentle murmer of the ship's intercom wove into Raditz's nightmares a few days later. He growled and tossed restlessly in his bunk. 

"Raditz? Hey Raditz!" The intercom grew more insistant. The big Saiyan snarled and pulled himself awake, wondering what had woken him. 

"RADITZ, WAKE UP AND GET THE HELL UP HERE! THERE'S A PLANET OUT HERE AND IT'S SHOOTING AT US!" 

Raditz threw his armor on and scrambled up the access ladder to the bridge. "Not another ship battle--" he grumbled. 

Nezumi whirled to face him and pointed at the screen. "Not ships--the _planet_ is shooting at us!" 

Raditz stared at the view screen, noting the tracks of incoming missiles. "Crud. Planetary defense bases. Crud, crud, crud!" 

Nezumi looked at the big Saiyan, worry in her eyes. "That doesn't sound good." 

"It isn't." Powerful fingers danced lightly over the controls; the ship lurched as Raditz sent it spiraling outward, away from the planet. 

"With luck, we can stay out of range. Welcome to Jinkousei," he muttered. "Sensors didn't pick up any other ships, did they?" 

Nezumi shrugged, her short brown hair still not touching her shoulders. "I don't think so..." 

Raditz punched up the ship's logs. "No, no other ships in system. She must have sent them all to Earth, and they haven't built any more. Yet." 

"So what exactly are we going to do here?" 

"Mostly wreck the place. Destroy the robot factories, shipyards, command centers." The big Saiyan scowled at the viewscreen. "First, I've got to take out the planetary defense bases so we can get close." 

He squinted at the screen. "Nothing orbital, so all this crap is being launched from the ground. Crud." 

Nezumi sighed in exasperation. "So what's so bad about that? You're pretty good at blowing things up." 

Raditz frowned at her. "Destroying a base from space is very hard--to reach all the way through atmosphere takes the kind of power that destroys planets. Very hard to do the one without doing the other." He shrugged. "I can probably do that now; I'm as powerful as Vegeta was back in the old days. And it would solve the robot problem. But..." 

Nezumi paled. "But.. what?" 

"..there may be a survivor down there, and I want to find out what the hell happened." Raditz said curtly. He stared at the green world revealed on the viewscreen. Blue-green oceans, green continents, no ice caps. Jinkousei burgeoned with life, hot, green, humid life. 

"Destroying a world is a wicked thing to do," Raditz said softly. 

Nezumi pondered. "What if you don't have to reach all the way through atmosphere? What if you're down there with the bases?" 

"A child could take out those bases, then. The hard part is getting down there without getting the ship shot to pieces--" Raditz stopped abruptly, an odd expression on his face. 

"I'm a complete dolt. I go down without the ship--it's not like the old days. You follow later, or I come up and pilot it down when the bases are dead." Raditz scowled, mostly at himself. 

* * *

The big guns flared, bolts of energy chasing the fireball across the sky. Some found it--but were deflected, flung aside by the wall of ki force shielding Raditz from the heat and shock of his own descent. His power roared about him, driving him at hypersonic speeds through the atmosphere. 

As the big Saiyan dove deeper into the thick atmosphere--and below the horizon of some of the defense bases--he slowed. The blazing corona of plasma around Raditz was literally blinding--spectacular, but he couldn't see a damn thing through the crackling, glowing plasma and his scouter was jammed with static from the super-heated, ionized gases. 

With a sudden burst of power, he stopped cold, hovering in mid-air. The plasma trail crackled behind him and dissipated; Raditz double-tapped his scouter. There, there, and there--those bases had to go! He scanned the horizon with short, jerky sweeps--no powers of any consequence. No Saiyans nearby. 

Raditz scowled; the scouter was already twittering warnings--incoming missiles. None of the big rays that had sought him on the way down came in now--the machines did not fire them along the world's surface for whatever reason. Too much danger of wrecking another installation? Raditz cared not; it made his job easier. 

Energy gathered, glowing, in each hand. The ball of power in Raditz's right hand brightened manyfold until it seared the eyes just to see it-- 

"SHII-NEEEEEE!" Raditz hurled the deadly sphere in long, low arc; even as he did so, he tossed the other sphere to his right hand, where it brightened, and a third sphere began to glow in his left. Without further word, he empowered and hurled the second and third spheres even as the first one was still in flight, snaking low over the jungle towards its target-- 

A distant, hellishly bright flash-- another, and then the third-- 

\--Raditz snarled, tossing a barrage of small ki bolts at the incoming missiles, detonating them in mid-flight; he hovered, waiting-- 

\--the first shock wave hit him, a howling hot wind that flipped head over heels like a leaf in a gale. Then came the second, and the third; Raditz laughed as he rode the hot gale. 

"Three bases down. That, little brother, is how you slay armies. One technique I hope you never learn," Raditz said, only half to himself--unknowing that Goku had already seen Cell use the same technique on a far greater scale. He tapped his scouter. "How many more to go?" 

* * *

Zana looked up from the ruins of the hollow tree she was pillaging. Like earthly life, the life of Jinkousei included fat bugs that lived in communal hives in hollow trees and stored up food for lean times--food that could be taken by predators tough enough to brave the stings and bites of the angry hive. A hungry young Saiyan was more than tough enough. 

Somewhere, something blew up. Many somethings, she decided a few minutes later. For hours, the sky rumbled and the ground shivered; sometimes lights flashed on the horizon. What had happened? Had Peree finally returned--with help? Had the witch returned? 

She had to go back. If Peree had returned, he'd be at the town. She had to go back. 

* * *

_Communications: communications with Origin terminated_

The Commander paused in mid-gesture. What? Clarify that! 

_Communications reports that all transmissions from Origin have ceased. Some indications of attack upon Origin._

The Commander frowned. No matter. This world takes priority. Secure it, then we re-secure Origin. 

_Origin is first priority! This world does not matter except as it threatens Origin. Origin must be defended!_

With what? Replacement forces are not yet available. Proximity dictates that this world is first priority. She flicked an arm in a gesture of dismissal. 

_Command Directive One: Origin must be defended from all threats. Any order that contradicts Command Directive One is illegal and to be disregarded. Any source that issues such an order is to be considered compromised._

Silence. Repair robots suddenly scurried away; the heavy tread of warbots could be heard in the hall. 

What the hell? Stand down and resume your repairs! Now! I order you! 

The voice that had lurked in the back of the Commander's brain for thirty years remained silent. The door slid open with a hiss; the silvery legs of the crab-like warbots showed in the hall beyond. One of the great machines scuttled sidewise into the room, its weapon arm unfolding. 

"Stand down! STAND DOWN NOW, DAMN YOU!" 

The warbot aimed the unlimbered weapon at the creature of flesh and steel that had been the Saiyan Naranja. The instant it fired, she flinched aside, the deadly plasma beam missing her by inches. Then she leaped full upon the rebellious robot, smashing into its guts with steel talons and strength far beyond the natural. 

"You traitorous bastards! I curse your disloyalty. Die! Die like all the traitors died!" Her screams of rage rose into one incoherent howl of madness as machine after machine collapsed into shattered, broken ruin. 

When Naranja was done, nothing but a smoking crater remained of the former hidden base. She hovered high above it, machine eyes glowing red. 

"Now the rest of the traitors die!" 

* * *

Far out in the asteroid belt, the robotic factory ships received the signal. _Command has been compromised; revert to Directive One_. As one, they began to extract themselves, preparing for the long journey home to Jinkousei. 

* * *

Raditz growled and ground his teeth. One obvious base was left--though judging from the number of robotic vehicles that popped out of nowhere to dog him, there were any number of hidden bases left. He'd deal with them later; right now the big guns that guarded the planet itself needed killing. 

That one obvious base was a juicy target--lots of machinery and large buildings. Factories? Repair yards? Something that needed wrecking, as far as Raditz was concerned. His eyes narrowed. The problem was the obviously Saiyan-built base camp right next to it. Was it still inhabited? Was that where Naranja came from? Might there be clues to what happened here? 

Raditz tapped his scouter yet again. No sign of any life forms as powerful as even a 3rd-class Saiyan soldier. Just weak animal life. 

Pip! There was that one elusive reading again! He'd picked it up several times--too strong for the animals, too weak for a grown Saiyan, a signal that faded out before he could pin it down. The damn robot bombs kept Raditz too busy fending off waves of them to properly search for the source of the faint reading. At one time, he would have dismissed it as a fault in the scouter, some kind of static--but that was back before Gohan nearly killed him with a reading Raditz had dismissed as a fluke of a faulty scouter. Besides, Bulma made better equipment than he'd ever been issued by Frieza's quartermasters. 

Raditz rolled and tossed a slicing arc of energy at the wave of bomb-darts buzzing his way. It neatly intercepted the robot formation, slicing the small machines into neat halves. Jinkousei's robots were poorly coordinated, almost mindless--they lacked the direction and driving will that had made the same machines so dangerous on Earth. 

Raditz sighed. He'd have to take out the last surface base the hard way--up close and personal. 

* * *

Raditz groaned as he blew apart what he hoped was the last of the crab robots. He'd forgotten how much sheer _work_ it was to clean out a place 'up close and personal'. The big Saiyan was tired, hungry and sore; the warbots could hit hard indeed, and with tired and hungry came fatigue and carelessness. 

The buildings had indeed been factories; as best Raditz could guess, this had been a shipyard. Here, perhaps, the robots built the fleet that attacked Earth. Now, of course, it was a scrapyard. Raditz surveyed his handiwork with a smirk; it would be a long time before anything could be built here again! 

Bleep! The com circuit on the scouter chimed. Raditz tapped it impatiently. 

"What?" 

_"Need anything? I noticed the explosions stopped,"_

"A hot shower and a hot meal, maybe. Things are fine," the big Saiyan said. 

_"Gotcha. Coming down! Over and out."_

"Wha--? I didn't mean for you to land here! There's still--" Raditz broke off into incoherent cursing as he realized he was talking to a dead mike. "Since when can she pilot a spaceship?" 

Some while later, Raditz's eyes widened as the Capsule Corp sphere backed slowly down four roaring pillars of flame to land with barely a nudge of the shock absorbers. "Since now, I guess," he said to himself. "I think she landed it better than I would have." 

Minutes later he charged into the control room, mane flying behind him. "Where the hell did you learn to fly this thing?" 

Nezumi smiled at him. "Well, I did ask Dr. Briefs to show me how to fly this thing, and studied all his notes and manuals..." 

Raditz scowled down at her from his full height. "That was a near-perfect landing," he growled. "You didn't learn how to do that by reading a manual!" 

Nezumi shrugged. "Just lucky I guess... though," she said, "I used to spend hours playing 'Lunar Lander' in the precinct lounge. Was a bit of an antique, even back then." She grinned at the expression on the big Saiyan's face; just as Raditz opened his mouth to retort, she added, "You know, Dr. Briefs did say that it would about land itself as long as you didn't do one of those full-speed kamikaze nosedives that Vegeta is so fond of. It's massively automated, though not smart enough to do anything on its own." 

"Oh." Raditz scratched his head; Dr. Briefs _had_ said something about automated flightpath management and re-entry systems. Raditz had dismissed it as uninteresting. He mistrusted machines running themselves; he preferred to be in complete control of something that, left to its own devices, might strand you a hundred light-years from anywhere. 

"Well, since you're here, I'll take that hot shower and find some food. Take it back up if you see any robots. I got the major bases, but there's a lot of small hidden nests of the things." Raditz ducked through the control room hatch. 

Nezumi pursed her lips in something half-way between a scowl and a pout. "Guess that means we're not done here," she said to herself. "Oh well. I wonder if I have time to look around? I've never been on an alien planet before." She stared at the view revealed on the main screen, pondering. 

* * *

Later... 

Raditz hesitated at the edge of the too-quiet base camp. Every building and ceramacrete hut he looked at showed signs of destruction. Cracks and fused burns scarred the algae-covered, once-white walls; craters pocked the shattered pavement. A battle had been fought here, not recently, but not so long ago as Frieza's slaughter of the Saiyans--the jungle had not reclaimed the camp, though weeds and tough vines grew in profusion. 

Emotions he could not name roiled through him; his fists clenched. Saiyans had lived here, lived long after Frieza had sent Raditz's whole world to Hell. But no more. There was no life here. Raditz had come too late. 

"Naranja!" Raditz snarled angrily. He plunged forward toward the largest building in the base--the headquarters, no doubt. 

The bones littering the pavement stopped him. The long-haired Saiyan stared. No predators had disturbed them--the robots' security perimeter had seen to that. The skeletons lay where they had fallen, where Jinkousei's tiny vermin and bacteria had consumed the mortal flesh. The bones were far from complete. 

Raditz dropped to one knee. Perhaps a dozen Saiyans--and Raditz knew the shape of Saiyan bones all too well--had died here. Shattered, oddly blasted bones told the tale: it had been a massacre, not a battle. A massacre not by the machines, but by someone with a far greater ki. Someone like an elite noble. 

Perejil's tormented ghost... 

_She-- she killed them, all of them!_

"Damn you, Naranja!" Raditz leaped cleanly over the boneyard into the gaping doorway of the headquarters building. 

More bones littered the main hall, which had evidently served the purpose of mess hall, conference room, audience chamber and anything else that required a large room. Sunlight spilled through the windows, illuminating every ugly detail. Here, more bones were broken, shattered; skulls crushed, limbs missing, spines broken. Ki-blasts hadn't been used inside. 

Raditz glanced around, quickly locating the hallways and doors out of the charnel chamber. Somewhere in here would be the commander's quarters, and perhaps a clue... 

* * *

Nezumi pondered the alien landscape outside. She'd read just enough science fiction to know that an alien world might be deadly to even a single step outside. The air seemed to be breathable--Raditz was breathing it, and he evidently needed oxygen, but what if he tolerated gases that were deadly poison to her? He was an alien. What if there were alien diseases out there, or strange spores that could take root in a human being? What if the solar radiation was strong enough to kill her if she went out unprotected? What if--? 

The last, at least, she could check on ship's instruments. Nezumi punched a few buttons, and squinted at the resulting readings. For all the heat out there, remarkably little ultraviolet radiation was getting through--less than on Earth. Whatever else happened, she wouldn't die of sunburn here. 

Diseases... well, the average soybean plant was more closely related to Nezumi than Jinkousei's alien life, and she'd never heard of anyone catching diseases from a plant. She was as alien to this place as it was to her. 

However... Nezumi had told Raditz she'd raise ship at the first sign of robots, and she couldn't do that if she went exploring. She sighed. Right now, her duty was on the bridge, keeping watch. 

The first movement she saw was Raditz's tall, powerfully-muscled, long-maned form running across the grass an hour later. Nezumi relaxed and massaged the back of her neck. She hadn't realized how tense she'd gotten. 

"Well?" she asked as the door to the bridge dilated. 

Raditz carried a pile of large grey chips or plaques cradled in one arm. "I think I found Naranja's records. There's a reader somewhere on the console, could you look through them for any clues? I've got some work to do with the sensor systems--" 

"Clues to what?" Nezumi cut him off. "And how am I supposed to understand the language?" 

Raditz blinked, nonplussed. "I didn't think of that. I'll look through them." He grunted as he settled into one of the bridge seats. "Look through the software, and see if you can use any of Bulma's sensor programs to track down the robot's signals. They must communicate in some way." 

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Nezumi snapped off a mocking salute. Raditz merely grunted and inserted the first plaque into the reader. 

* * *

Hunger finally dragged Nezumi from her task. Bulma had cleverly designed the software modules to be used by someone who knew more about sensors than programming; they were well-documented and fit together like links in a chain. Once Nezumi understood what each module was for, she could decide if and how to use it. 

The task would have gone a lot faster if she actually knew something about sensors. Her head spun from the new terms Nezumi had tried to crash-learn. "I hate Kalman filters," she muttered as she staggered toward the bridge's main hatch and hence the galley and hot food. 

An image on Raditz's screen caught her eye; Nezumi stopped to look over Raditz's shoulder. 

"Oh. My. God!" Nezumi ran for the bridge exit and the head just beyond it. She just barely made the sink as her stomach heaved violently. White and shaking, she returned to the bridge. 

Raditz looked at her, an odd expression on his face. Nezumi couldn't tell if it was contempt or concern; Raditz hid his true emotion, showing only a certain ambivalance. The screen was off. 

"Turn it back on and show me that scene from the beginning," Nezumi said, her voice flat and hard. Raditz's eyes widened. 

"No. You're human, and Naranja's violence--" 

"Turn that damn thing back on! It's not the first time I've seen a crime scene like that, but usually that kind of killer doesn't record himself--herself--in action. They just like to mail the cops 'trophies'." Nezumi's voice was as cold and implacable as a million-year-old glacier. 

"Not the first time?" Raditz looked nonplussed. 

Nezumi nodded. "Haven't you lived on Earth long enough to learn that humans can be just as evil as your Saiyans?" 

Raditz frowned, remembering the psychopathic cultists that had kidnapped Chi-chi and Goten, back when Vegeta was dead. Deputy hadn't made the cultists depraved and evil; they'd been that way first, and had merely answered his call to their inner souls. 

"Okay. So?" His nostrils flared. "Why should you subject yourself to that?" 

Nezumi put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Why are you?" 

"Seeking clues." The suddenly taciturn Saiyan bit off further words. 

"I hate murder scenes like that, but I hate murderers like that even more," she said. "I was a cop, a homicide detective, remember? _I've_ _seen murders like that before!_ Now let me see that recording again and stop treating me like a small child that has to be 'protected' from reality!" 

Raditz scowled, more at himself than Nezumi. Damn it, he was doing it again, treating her like a weak child, insulting her. True, she was weak physically--but only physically. The horror in Naranja's personal diary was not a physical threat. His fists clenched and unclenched. 

He grunted. "So look. But you clean up the deck if you make a mess." Raditz's fingers stabbed the controls harder than he intended, cracking the tough plastic. 

Nezumi watched the entire recording in silence, her jaw painfully clenched. Raditz watched it again, completely still, his face impassive, his tail wrapped tightly about his waist. 

"Well?" he said after the recording ended. 

"You tell me," Nezumi said cooly. 

"I don't get it," Raditz said. "Naranja just killed the others out of hand--putting down a rebellion, if I understand her ranting. Though they sure didn't look like they knew they were rebelling against her--you can see it in their faces. They had no idea why she was killing them, and didn't expect it. But those first two-- _he_ was an execution, but why did Naranja do _that_ to the woman--torture her to death like that?" 

"An execution?" Nezumi looked startled. "Where did you get that?" 

"Staking him out and mutilating him like that--it's the traditional punishment for traitors," Raditz growled. "but the woman... makes no sense." 

"It's a sex crime," Nezumi said. "Naranja..." Sweat beaded Nezumi's upper lip; her face was pale. "Naranja was attacking the woman's sexuality. She destroyed the woman _as a woman_ before she actually killed her." Nezumi pulled at her lower lip, thinking. 

"Who was the guy, and what was Naranja screaming at him?" she asked. 

Raditz scowled at the screen and brought up a different record. "I knew him once. That was Lechuge, my mother's squad sergeant. I think the woman was his wife, Patata. I think I saw her name in the records somewhere,.." he trailed off, frowning furiously. "But why was Naranja raving about Lechuge 'betraying her' with 'that slut'? Patata was his _wife_!" 

"Why were they living apart, away from the rest of the colony?" Nezumi pointed out. 

"One more thing to add to the pot: that was Perejil's mother and father," Raditz said, his voice softening oddly. 

_"She-- she killed them, all of them. But my mother was first, then my father. I do not know why. Mother saw her coming and sent me away with Zana, to protect her, then. She said it wasn't my fault. Why would it be my fault?"_

"Oh, boy. We're getting into some really deep water here." Nezumi folder her arms and scowled. "Then there was that frame-up she pulled with you and Bulma... Of course, with all your drooling over her, it was an obvious thing to do, if she wanted to divide you guys." 

Raditz snarled, "Do you have to remind me about that! It's embarassing how many people knew about what I _thought_ was my guilty secret." 

"I can't help it if you have a funny way of switching your tail when a woman turns you on," Nezumi said with a bit of a smirk. "Anyway, my point is that woman seems to have a few screws loose about sex and betrayal." 

"You don't know the half of it," Raditz muttered. At Nezumi's raised eyebrow, he continued. "She's obsessed with my dead father Bardock, who was once Naranja's squad sergeant, to the point where she thinks Goku is Bardock. He does look very much like him, but she's beyond sanity in this. And Bulma figured out what I half remembered from my childhood--she was insanely jealous of my mother, Kinoko, and hates me because I look like her and remind her of the woman that 'took Bardock away from her'." 

"Uh, okay. More than a few screws loose." Nezumi said. She looked at the long-haired Saiyan sharply. "Didn't you say that Lechuge was _your_ _mother's_ squad sergeant?" 

"Yeah, but that didn't seem to bother her for thirty years. This.. blow-up was recent. Why go bonkers now, especially when she's obsessed with my father Bardock, not Lechuge?" 

"Was she?" Nezumi asked. "After all, your father wasn't around for thirty years, and this Lechuge was. What'd he look like, originally? She have any decent recordings of him previously?" 

"Quite a few. She does seem to have focused on him." Raditz swapped out the plaques in the console. 

"Mmm-hmm." Nezumi studied the big, square-jawed Saiyan shown on screen. "Handsome, in a rough-hewn, tough sort of way." Nezumi frowned. "But Goku looks nothing like that, and you say he looks like his father..." 

"Bardock was battle-scarred, and not quite so innocent-looking. He looked... quite tough." Raditz said, remembering. 

Nezumi pursed her lips in distaste. "So Naranja's taste in men runs to tough guys, but lower-ranking. Guys she can dominate, but don't come across as wimps." 

"Not an unusual taste among the nobility," Raditz said. 

"Uh-huh. So what happened here? Why is your mother's squad sergeant here with this colony of survivors?" 

"I was getting to that. The record plaques aren't in any special order--actually labelling them seems to have been beyond Naranja's imagination. Still... she's fairly reticent in the oldest recordings, like she's afraid someone in authority might see them some day." Raditz frowned. "Give me more time to go through them." 

"Yeah, I'm tired. I think your sensors should work the way you want them to, now. I was going to get lunch, but your little horror show just killed my appetite." Nezumi got up and stretched. 

Raditz grunted. "How did humans survive before they got civilized, if every bad sight made you starve yourself?" 

Nezumi had no answer for that; she simply threw her arms up in a wide shrug as she left the bridge. 


	29. Chapter 29

Raditz growled softly and shook his head, sending waves through the great mane of hair that tumbled down his back. His small mouth flattened into a thin line of disgust. 

Nezumi looked up from her console. "What? You've been silent for the last hour or two, and, by the way, I think I've located some of your robot transmissions." 

"My head aches and I'm hungry." Raditz sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I've been through most of it now. Probably missed a few things--had to fast-forward through years of nothing happening, but I've got the picture." 

"Well?" 

"Time for something to eat." Raditz leaned back, stretched, and headed for the main hatch. At Nezumi's astonished expression, the big Saiyan smiled faintly. "I'm hungry. Can't think well like that." 

Nezumi closed her eyes and counted to ten silently. "Fine." A bit of mischief danced in her eyes as she got up and stalked after him. "How 'bout a couple of steaks, rare, dumplings, and a little something on the side?" 

Raditz stopped suddenly and looked back down the companionway at here. The very tip of his tail twitched slightly. "No. No! I'll make my own food!" He hurried off to the galley. 

Nezumi stood open-mouthed for a few seconds, then put her hands on her hips. "I don't believe this! What is wrong with that man?" 

* * *

Later... 

In the ship's small galley, Nezumi nursed a cup of hot chocolate. "Okay, now are you going to tell me the bad news?" she asked Raditz 

Raditz popped the last spring roll in his mouth, savoring its taste. "Yeah." He looked disgusted again. "My father... " The long-haired Saiyan shook his head. "My father was wiser than he knew, to leave _her_ service. Too bad he wasn't wise enough to leave it sooner." Raditz licked the last taste of lunch off his fingers. 

"Well?" 

"Naranja is an elite noble, and has some of the worst blind arrogance I've ever seen--to the point of madness. Even Vegeta will recognize his mistakes and learn from them, even if he won't ever admit to anyone else that there is any possibility of him making a mistake. Naranja can't or won't do that. Her ravings--and that's the best word for her personal journals--blame everyone and everything else for her screw-ups." His brows lowered in anger. "That's when her 'screw-ups' weren't deliberate maneuvers to murder people that offended her." 

"She killed off the rest of the Saiyan commanders on planet, deliberately leading them into ambushes. Sometime between killing off her main rival and the death of Lord Col--an event she doesn't like to talk about, but that I think she brought about--she found the main control center for the robots--and somehow acquired control of them. After the rest of the commanders were dead, she pulled rank and took command of the lower-ranking guys." 

Nezumi nodded. 

"So far, simple enough. One of the lower-ranking people she got rid of along the way was 'the witch who took Bardock from her'--my mother, Kinoko." Raditz's jaw tightened. "It was covered up and reported at the time as a robot attack, but Naranja was proud of what she'd done; boasted of it in her journals." Dark eyes stared at the overhead; his face remained impassive, save for a single muscle twitching in his jaw. 

"She lured Kinoko away from her team by pretending to be Bardock, newly arrived in his pod. I don't know how she did it, exactly, but Jinkouseian technology let her make illusions, let her change her scent. She killed Kinoko with a surprise blow, laughing at the look on my mother's face when her 'lover' killed her..." 

Nezumi's eyes widened in horror; she bit her lip, squelching the automatic response of "I'm sorry." The standard platitudes just didn't seem to fit. 

Raditz just shook his head and continued, "When Frieza's assassins came after her team and the back-up squad, the Saiyans thought it lucky that the warbots targetted enemies with the highest ki first--Frieza's assassins-- giving Lechuge time to take out what he thought was the command computer's bunker. Naranja really sent him after an expendable reserve depot; back then, she wanted the Saiyans to think they could survive on the planet under her leadership. 

"They never knew why Frieza's assassins didn't return, because they didn't hear the transmission back to Frieza's base that pronounced the Saiyans dead at the hands of the Jinkousei warbots, nor did they hear the report that declared the planet worthless due to the battle damage inflicted on it. _Those_ transmissions came from the communication computers of Jinkousei's robotic defense network, computers controlled by Naranja." 

"They heard the news of Vegetasei's destruction over the scouters of Frieza's many soldiers--and unlike the riff-raff, Naranja's company knew that no comet had done the job. Comets didn't send teams of assassins to mop up." The bitterness welled up in Raditz's voice. "So with Frieza out there on a rampage and nothing to go home to, it was easy for Naranja to convince them to stay on Jinkousei permanently, and bow to her rule." Raditz sighed. "She boasted to journals how she set it all up." 

"I think, during those thirty years, she was semi-rational. As far as she knew, Bardock was dead, and her Saiyans were the only survivors. There were those who chafed under her rule, but they tended to have fatal meetings with wandering warbots." Raditz leaned back. "At first, she did a good job of convincing the Saiyans that she was the only one strong enough to fight the warbots off--until someone figured it out." 

"That she was controlling them?" Nezumi asked. 

"Yeah. I think it was Lechuge, or Patata. I think he saw too much back when he trashed the supposed command center, and thought too much about the continued behavior of the robots. Or his wife did. He wasn't quite in my father's league, but he was no fool, and Bardock always said Patata was a sharp one. Whoever it was, was smart enough not to confront Naranja openly--he just spread the word to all the rest of the Saiyans." 

Nezumi shuddered. "Did they rebel? Is that when she murdered all of them?" 

"Nope. That was nearly twenty years ago. There wasn't anything they could actually do about it, so no point in rebelling. The senior sergeants just let Naranja know that they all knew, so no point in lying about it anymore." Raditz paused, searching his mind for the right words. 

"Naranja took public pride in her command of the robots--now her story was that she'd saved them all from Frieza. Always she was desperate to be respected as a powerful, ruling noble who _deserved_ the power of command. However--" 

"--she was really pissed at whoever spilled her secret?" Nezumi ventured. 

"Yeah. She seethed about the 'secret traitor' who had found out her secrets and 'betrayed' them to the others. I think she started to lose it around then. She suspected Lechuge, mostly because he'd been my mother's squad sergeant; over the years, she 'tested' his loyalty in more and more extreme ways--arduous missions, discipline of the others, personal services to her..." 

"At some point, Patata quietly disappeared from sight and the records; I think Lechuge set up their house out in the jungle to keep his wife out of Naranja's sight and mind. Naranja's 'personal service' requirements got rather.. intimate in the extreme, and I expect that her jealousy got just as extreme. She seems to have thought of Lechuge as her personal possession. It's also possible that Naranja exiled Patata, but there's no note of that in her journals." 

Raditz sighed. "In a way, what finally happened was caused by me." At Nezumi's shocked look he continued. "Naranja heard the transmissions between me and Vegeta. She finally learned that other Saiyans had survived, and she learned that Bardock's son, Kakarrot lived. In her journals, she took that to mean that Bardock also must be alive--and on Earth. 

"Bardock was the man who had never failed her, and she wanted him back. Lechuge was no longer good enough--and I get the impression he sensed this and tried to avoid Naranja's attention by retreating to his jungle homestead." Raditz paused for the right words again. 

"Naranja snapped at Lechuge's 'desertion', and went hunting him. She found Lechuge, and Patata, and their _children_ , and lost what little sanity she had. Here was evidence, to her mind, of Lechuge's utter treachery--he was so unfaithful to her that he'd had children by another woman! Not only that, but the others had conspired to cover up his treachery, so they were traitors, too." 

"But, Patata was Lechuge's _wife_! Before he met Naranja, right?" Nezumi said, bewildered. 

"I told you Naranja was insane. Her reality revolves around her and her alone. No one else has any needs or relationships except those with Naranja. If they do, they are traitors to Naranja." Raditz looked down and muttered, "A lot like Frieza..." 

Raditz continued. "You saw what she did to Lechuge and Patata. When Naranja was killing him, Lechuge told her what scum she was, and reminded her about how she'd failed to deceive the Saiyans about her control of the robots, and how they all knew and mocked her behind her back. That was a mistake on his part, but I can understand it--he was striking back the only way he had left. 

"After she was done with him and Patata, she went after the rest of the Saiyans, for their double treason." Raditz scowled. "Apparently Lechuge's kids managed to escape, and she went after them. From what Perejil told me, they resolved to split up: Zana fled into the jungle, while Perejil stole Naranja's pod and took off--to Earth, as it turned out. Unfortunately for him, Naranja decided to chase down her stolen pod, caught up with him on Earth, and killed him." 

Nezumi looked sharply at Raditz. "So Zana is still out there? Or--" She could not bring herself to finish the thought. 

"--or did she die in the jungle? Eh, she's a Saiyan child. Unless the robots got her, or she starved, she's likely still out there." Raditz frowned. "I've been getting some odd readings on my scouter." 


	30. Chapter 30

BOOOOMM! 

The sonic boom rattled windows and shook dishes on their shelves; people looked up, but few actually saw the small, shining shape that clove the air at supersonic speeds just above ground-level. The few who saw blinked their eyes, trying to make sense out of the metallic form, far too small for an airplane, and oddly misshapen for a cruise missile. 

As the hurtling object headed out to sea, the shockwave trailing it manifested as a wake on the surface of the water--a wake that pointed in a straight line toward Muten Roshi's house in the South Sea Islands. 

Naranja meant to exterminate that nest of traitors and vermin once and for all. 

* * *

On Jinkousei, alarms suddenly shrilled all over the ship. Nezumi dropped her sandwich and ran for the bridge, only to find Raditz there ahead of her. He cursed as his fingers danced over the control panels. 

"They'll be on us before the ship can get out of range. Nezumi!" He looked sharply at her. "Take the ship up as fast as you can, don't come down until I say it's clear! I'm going to slow them down." With that, the long-haired Saiyan nearly bowled her over rushing through the hatch she'd just emerged from. 

"Gah! Raditz! You don't mean for me to just.... leave you here?" Her voice trailed off; she was talking to the empty corridor. The ship shuddered as the engines roared, gathering power and lift. "I guess so." 

Nezumi hurried over to the panel; Raditz had already initiated an emergency take-off. A quick glance at the threat display; the girl's eyes widened and she gasped--there was a cloud of small objects incoming--bombdroids. Bigger craft followed them. All she could do was watch as the ship lifted all too slowly-- 

"Damn it, why doesn't this thing have force fields and phasers or something?" 

* * *

Chi-chi glared furiously at the old man sleeping in the lawn chair while she hung the laundry up. Why did her nice house have to get blown up, while that dirty old man's cottage survived robots and monsters visiting every other day for decades? If only Goku would get a job instead of hanging out with these bums, things might be different... 

Or, maybe not. Gohan was such a smart boy, he studied well, he did well in school, but trouble turned up anyway, and it was good to have someone as strong and _reliable_ as Gohan to protect her. Chi-chi set down the shirt she was about to hang. Goku... was so sweet, and she loved him, but he was never around! Always off training, or saving the world, or... or worse. Chi-chi wiped away a tear, remembering the awful, lonely years after the Cell Games. 

She tried not to question the miracle that had brought Goku back in the wake of the great demon... but for how long? The gods thought highly of Goku--too highly. When would they want him back? Chi-chi sighed quietly and continued hanging laundry. 

Goku slept the sleep of the innocent. Tomorrow, tomorrow he and Gohan planned to go back home and start rebuilding the house; for now, he enjoyed the serenity and beautiful weather of Muten Roshi's island, working out with Gohan, eating well, and sleeping deeply. 

Gohan also took advantage of one of the hammocks; it was the heat of the day, and a good time to catch up on sleep after a hard morning's workout... especially since afternoon would be spent catching up his school lessons under Chi-chi's supervision. Chi-chi had no intention of letting Gohan fall behind academically, in spite of his enforced absence from school. 

* * *

Raditz dodged another plasma bolt as bombdroids exploded all around. Where'd that one come from? 

There! Another squadron of the flying crab-bots. Raditz scowled; they were hovering in formation around something much larger, blocking his view of it. 

Dodging and blocking plasma bolts, Raditz plunged toward them, energy flashing from both hands. Ki lanced out to destroy warbots on either side; the others shifted position. More plasma beams. 

Raditz blocked, zoomed upward and spun, flinging balls of energy in a sweeping arc. 

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! They all struck home; machines exploded, raining scraps of metal across the jungle. 

The crab-bots scattered, revealing a building-sized flying saucer. What was this? Raditz had not seen anything like it before. It rotated, bringing a dark stubby tube on the rim of the saucer to bear. 

Two crab-bots swooped in from opposite directions, firing. Raditz snarled and twisted, dodging the plasma bolts-- 

A beam of blackness shot out from the flying saucer. Raditz slammed his shoulder into one of the crab-bots, sending it spinning helplessly into its neighbor. The black beam narrowly missed Raditz; in reaction, he flung the tangled crab-bots at the saucer-shaped death machine. 

The black beam lashed out again, slicing through the wreckage like a knife. Raditz's eyes widened; the gutted robots did not explode, they simply fell apart, sliced cleanly into pieces. Where the black beam touched, matter simply vanished. 

Then the rest of the death machine's weapons opened up: an array of heavy plasma beams slammed into Raditz, knocking him out of the sky. 

Raditz shook himself as he rose out of the shattered trees, then ducked as the black beam probed for him, disintegrating a quarter acre of jungle. 

Raditz snarled. "That thing... annoys me.!" One hand extended; energy flashed through the sky to slam into the flying saucer. 

It staggered in mid-air, recovered, and pressed on, though still rocking violently. 

"Crap!" Raditz spun and darted to one side as the plasma bolts howled in his wake. "That thing is armored!" The death machine was actually... dangerous. He'd have to use a lot more power to destroy it, and the other warbots weren't giving him the luxury of preparing the energy. "Crap!" 

How many more were there? Fifteen? Twenty? The air was thick with plasma bolts, hot and stinking of ozone. Raditz had no choice, he had to destroy them, while avoiding the death machine's lethal disintegrator. Fortunately, it seemed to have a low rate of fire. 

He sped low over the jungle, the robots in pursuit. Raditz jinked and twisted as he flew, throwing off the long shots of the leading warbots. The death machine trailed behind, not so fast as the smaller machines. 

Raditz glanced back from time to time; his eyes narrowed as he noted the widening gap between the flying crab-bots and the great saucer. Just a bit more... 

FWOOSH! Raditz spun and stopped abruptly, kinetic energy dispersing in a flash of light and sound. Two bolts lanced out from his extended arms; two more, and two more again. Six robots gone. 

He zoomed upward, going for altitude, twisting and dodging the return fire. If the robots followed... 

Yes! As they twisted and turned to follow Raditz's abrupt change of flightpath, the robots bunched up. Without stopping, Raditz flung two beams backwards, impaling another five robots so conveniently lined up. 

Now he could count them in a glance. There were only four left, plus the big one. Raditz flew upwards; the robots fell behind. They weren't designed for high acceleration against gravity. 

A plunging, corkscrewing dive. He was in among the robots before their weapons could bear, Saiyan muscles slamming Saiyan fists into their delicate mechanical innards. One, two, three, four came apart in showers of metal and plastic. 

Now only the big one awaited. Free-falling toward it, Raditz gathered himself. "MAN--" 

The disk pitched up slowly, trying to train its weapons on Raditz. 

"KI--" 

It rotated, training the disintegrator on the plummeting Saiyan. 

"--BATSU!" Searing purple-white blast plunging down; black line of death snapping upward. 

Raditz twisted; the disintegrator missed him by a hair's breadth. He felt the rush of air collapsing into the nothingness as it passed. A lock of hair floated free. 

His own blast slammed down and through the middle of the deadly flying saucer. Something shrieked, a rising vibration that grated through Raditz's bones; the Death Machine imploded in a burst of blackness. 

Raditz blinked. The flying saucer was completely gone; not so much as a screw fell to the jungle below. 

"What the--?" 

Pip! Raditz's scouter came to life; something with a bit of ki was out there. 

"What the HELL?" 

* * *

Where were they? Naranja's head turned from side to side. This string of islands matched the coordinates given by... by her sensors. No great power revealed itself; they were all hiding from her. 

Very well. She tried to snarl, but felt armored metal shifting across her face instead-- guarding her eyes and other weak points from attack. Hovering, Naranja felt of her face with one steel-taloned hand, heard metal clinking on metal. How much of her had they rebuilt? What did she look like? She glanced down; the sea was too restless to show anything but tossed sky. 

No matter. Only the traitors mattered; they had to be punished. Even Bardock; he was hopelessly corrupted. But the source of the corruption... _she_ would be dealt with. Again. Yes. Naranja recognized her mistake; she hadn't killed the witch properly. She'd been too quick. 

Naranja dropped silently to the sandy beach. She'd find them, even if she had to personally clear every nest of vermin in this archipeligo. They were here, she was sure of it. 

* * *

" _Yattuei! Yattuei! YATTUEI!_ " The strange words rang in Goten's ears. 

"Huh? What?" He said, awakening from his nap. Goten blinked. Perejil stood over him, trying to shake him awake with insubstantial hands. 

" _Yattuei! Canojo kah! Kahkuureiraye! Hahyahkuu kahkuureiraye!_ " The ghostly saiyan boy said. 

Goten rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and glanced quickly around the room. Trunks was visiting him while his father was in the hospital. "TRUNKS! WAKE UP!" Goten ran over and shook the violet-haired boy awake. 

"Huh? Whazzit?" Trunks blinked and sat up. "What's up?" 

"We gotta hide! Perejil says the bad lady is here!" Goten looked frantically around. 

Trunks balled his fists. "I bet we could fight her! We're Saiyans, too!" 

"No!" Goten echoed the frantic plea in Perejil's eyes and voice. "We'd.. um, get in Dad's way!" He crossed his fingers, hoping that Trunks would believe the excuse. Mom and Gohan used it all the time with Goten himself. 

Trunks scowled. "Well, I've got to protect Mom! Father is still in the hospital." 

Goten pondered that for a moment, then brightened. "We'll hide in the closet in Bulma's room!" A thought occurred to him as he scurried after Trunks. "Perejil, tell Dad--Goku--the bad lady is here!" 

Perejil stared in puzzlement at his friend. Goten wanted something, but what? All he recognized was the name, Goku... 

* * *

The pink house on island was the last house Naranja visited. Her eyes widened as she noted Goku, sleeping in his hammock, and the filthy half-breed nearby. There, doing the chores of a slave, there was the witch who corrupted Bardock! Naranja clenched her fists; teel claws curled into deadly talons. 

Take the witch, and kill her properly. But.. she'd never find Bardock and the filth he'd spawned so vulnerable again. They had to be punished properly, too. Then the decadent Vegeta, and then cleanse this rotten planet. Metal talons scrabbled lightly against armored legs. 

Naranja decided. With a bound she cleared the house and landed squarely in front of Chi-chi, one taloned hand lashing out-- 

Something orange flashed in front of her eyes, something blocked her arm, but the other hand was moving too, she'd been ready for this, knew the woman must be a fighter, razor-talons plunged past the block... 

_...deep into a muscular body. A scream of agony rent the air; Bardock doubled over, Naranja's metallic arm buried in his chest. His eyes bulged in agony as adamantine talons pushed past the shredded remains of his heart to clamp on to his spine._

_Bardock opened his mouth as if to speak, stunned disbelief in his eyes. Naranja tightened her grip and twisted, crushing the vertebrae in her hand. How could she be so strong?_

_"Thus died Kinoko!" hissed Naranja as she let Bardock's broken corpse slide to the ground. Naranja paused to ponder the irony; she'd decided to kill the female before she could warn Bardock, and by coming between the death-blow and the female, he'd killed himself--leaving Naranja plenty of time to properly kill the witch._

Naranja blinked--no, she was being carried far out to sea in Goku's grip. She hadn't killed him--he'd blocked, blocked again, and tackled her. 

"Decadent filth! GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" Naranja boxed Goku's ears with her full, cybernetic strength. 

Goku yelped in pain and dropped the cyborged Saiyan. He clapped his hands over his damaged ears and shook his head from side-to-side, trying to clear his hearing. 

Naranja swooped just above the waves and zoomed upward, slamming her fist into Goku's groin. As he doubled over, her knee caught his nose; Naranja's other fist swung and caught Goku square in the jaw. Blood spurted from his nose as Goku went flying-- 

"FATHER!" The shout of anger rang in Naranja's ears. Her head snapped around, looking at-- 

"MA-SEN-KO!" Blazing white energy slammed into the cyborged Saiyan, plunging her deep into the ocean. 

Goku righted himself after plowing through a few waves; sea water dripped off his back and a trickle of blood ran from his nose. He grinned as his hair flashed golden. "She's gotten a lot tougher! Gohan, keep her busy while I get Chi-chi and the others out of here." Two fingers raised to his forehead, and Goku vanished. 

The filthy whelp! How dare he be so powerful! Naranja clawed her way to the surface. For that, she would destroy this whole world! As she rose from the water, Naranja pointed one arm at the oncoming Gohan, willing all of her power into her attack. In response, the metal shifted and folded back, revealing a powerful blaster built into her arm--Android 16's Hellgun. 

"Die, vermin!" The powerful weapon flashed, its bolt surrounded by a corona of Naranja's power. 

Gohan braced himself, arms crossed in front of blazing golden hair as the powerful beam slammed into him. It staggered him; smoke rose from scorched clothing, but still he came on, zooming across the wavetops toward the hovering Naranja. 

A second powerful shot, and he halted, arms crossed in front of his face. Naranja smirked; now she was powerful enough to stagger even a Super-Saiyan! 

Again, she fired, and again Gohan simply blocked her shots. Why didn't the fool fight back? Naranja screamed and dove toward him, taloned hands outstretched. With her full cybernetic speed and strength she tore at the half-breed-- 

_\--razor-sharp metal talons raked his flesh, tearing away great ragged strips of muscle to reveal the white bone beneath. The half-breed screamed in agony as Naranja plunged the claws lower and deeper, ripping open his belly, letting the entrails spill into the waiting sea--_

\--no, she was blocked, and blocked, and blocked, never so much as ripping a thread of his tunic. How could anything mortal be so fast, let alone a wretched perversion of nature like this half-breed? 

Goku suddenly re-appeared in front of Gohan, too close to Naranja--and his back was to her! "Gohan, they're safe now--" 

"Dad! Look out, she's--" 

Naranja smashed the Hellgun into the base of his spine and fired. Goku screamed in pain as the beam hurled him several miles and exploded. 

Damn! Two of them were too much to easily deal with... she needed the bots. But the machines had proved just as untrustworthy as Saiyans, turning on her when Naranja needed them most. Useless to wish for them--unless... 

Yes! If any of the 'dumb' bomblets were left, they wouldn't care who she was or was not loyal too. All she had to do was transmit on their frequency, and they would come--and the transmitter was built in to her skull. 

"MA-SEN-KO!" The youth's energy attack sent Naranja flying southward and into the ocean again. No matter; it would take him time to catch up with her in the ocean--she did not need air to breath, anymore. Naranja smirked to herself; the limpets and the bomb-droids had heard the call. She dove deep. 

Above the sea, Goku returned to Gohan, his gi a bit more tattered than it had been. 

"Dad! Where is she? I can't sense her!" 

Goku frowned with concentration. "She's like the androids now. Look for her old power, not the power she's showing us in battle." He pointed down into the sea. "There!" 

Gohan took a deep breath and plunged into the sea. The deeper he went, the darker it got, but Naranja's corrupt power stood out against the weak, innocent sea creatures. 

Naranja's machine eyes glimmered infrared in the dark. So, the whelp dared to follow her down here? She hovered just below the overhanging crest of a seamount. 

What was the foolish whelp doing? Her eyes focused on him, magnifying the details. What was the point of cupping his hands like that? 

"KA--" 

Wait.. some kind of energy build up--he meant to attack her again. 

"ME--" 

Wait! She'd seen Bardock use that attack on Vegeta! Filthy, arrogant whelp! Naranja aimed the Hellgun again and willed it to fire, even as she zoomed for the surface above. 

"HA-MEHA!" The brilliant sphere of energy streaked out, even as Naranja's blast slammed into the seamount's crest and exploded, bringing millions of tons of rock, coral and mud cascading over Gohan. Still the energy sphere pursued her! Naranja snarled, feeling the armor plates slide down to guard her eyes and flung one armored arm in front of her face as the ball struck and exploded, throwing her high above the surface of the sea. 

"GO-HAAAN!" Goku screamed involuntarily. His eyes flashed turquoise with rage and power; golden hair crackled with lightning. 

"That's it for the whelp!" Naranja snarled. "Now to deal with you, traitor!" She pointed the Hellgun at Goku. 

"You don't have enough power, Naranja!" He smirked; he could still perceive Gohan's ki, as strong as ever. 

She simply smirked. "What matters is how you use it, Bardock!" Naranja laughed wickedly. "MEGATON ARRAY!" 

"What the--?" Goku's eyes widened in surprise as several dozen limpet-bombs rose from the surface of the sea to envelop him. Several of the wasp-shaped bomb-droids followed them, arraying themselves in a ring around Goku, warheads pointed inward. 

"Enjoy the last few seconds of your life, traitor! Each bomb will reinforce and amplify the others as they explode--the total blast should be sufficient to kill even a Super-Saiyan!" Naranja turned and flew away as the limpets clamped onto Goku's front and back, crackling with electrical discharges meant to shock and stun. 

Two fingers, flicker-flash. Goku appeared behind Naranja and grabbed her about the waist. The bomb array darted forward and surrounded him again. 

"I'm not letting you get away! You've done too much evil!" 

Naranja shrieked. "You fool! Once initiated, the Megaton Array cannot be stopped! Even if I wanted to, I cannot spare you, traitor, not even to save myself!" 

"I don't care what--" 

WHAAAAMMMMM! 

Gohan surfaced just in time to see the nuclear fireball blaze far to the north. Lightning crackled about him as he braced himself against the shockwave. 


	31. Chapter 31

All Zana could do was hang on to the stout boule of one of the great jungle trees as concussion and blast after blast shook the jungle around here. Leaves, sticks, sometimes whole tree trunks blew past, uprooted and stripped by overpressure from the not-distant-enough blasts. Animals hooted and bleated and howled, running in terror--those that survived. 

What is happening? This cannot be Peree--nor even the witch! 

BOOM! 

Zana's ears rang from the explosion. Chunks of twisted metal rained down not far away. Too close; Zana let go of the tree and ran-- 

A sudden venomous hiss, a flash of blackness, a POP! of displaced air, and the jungle suddenly vanished in front of her. Moving too quickly to stop, Zana found herself a dozen yards out into the new clearing abruptly torn out of the jungle. A dozen yards out... and about two yards up from the gouge torn in the forest floor by the Death Machine's disintegrator. She tumbled and landed awkwardly, coming down hard on her rear instead of lightly on her feet. 

Two war machines veered off from pursuing Raditz, straight toward the young Saiyan sitting exposed in the clearing. 

Too weak to fight them, Zana did the only thing she could: she ran. Ran with all the strength and speed in her young Saiyan body, ran faster than the pursuing crab-bots could run--just barely. But the machines didn't tire, and she was weak from perpetual hunger. 

* * *

Raditz zoomed eastward. The unexpected ki source was down there, under the treetops, moving rapidly--about the speed of a running Saiyan. Running Saiyan? Now why did he think that? 

His eyes closed briefly as he listened, felt. Yes, he could feel the ki down there. It was weak, young--but Saiyan. The hairs tingled and bristled all along his tail Definitely Saiyan. But why-- 

Trees swayed. Metal glinted through breaks in the tree cover. Warbots, chasing the Saiyan. Raditz growled, baring his teeth in a feral snarl. Power gathered in each hand. 

* * *

Zana's breath came in deep, hard gasps. Her feet pounded along the jungle floor, now following a game trail, then leaping pell-mell over logs and pools. She must not miss her step, or the monsters would be on her. 

She missed her step--or rather, her step missed the ground as it fell away into an unexpected ravine. Again a long fall, but this time long enough for her to recover her balance and land properly, on the balls of her feet, re-directing the shock of landing into a bound back out of the ravine. 

Partway out of the ravine. It was deep, and-- 

ZZZZAAAKKK! 

By instinct, she ducked just in time. The plasma bolt howled past her head, shattering a tree trunk nearby. How had the warbots caught up so fast? Zana looked back. 

The two pursuing her had not caught up. The swarm of 'bots pouring out of the dark tunnel at the foot of the ravine had. 

* * *

BOOM! BOOM! 

The two crab-bots exploded satisfactorily. Raditz smirked as he dove over the lip of the ravine toward the ki he sensed below-- 

\--and into a swarm of attacking warbots. Crab-bots and other, smaller bots aimed their weapons at the target across the ravine-- 

"KAI-O-KEN!" 

\--Raditz dove forward with a sudden burst of speed, crimson energy seething around him. Raditz grabbed the small figure that tried to run up the ravine and crouched, his ki flaring as he blocked-- 

ZZZZZAAAKKKKK-ZAK-ZAK-ZAK! 

The plasma weapons fired in one long thunderous roar. 

Raditz straightened, glancing at the Saiyan girl he'd shielded from the massive attack. "<Stay behind me--watch my back>" he said in Saiya-go. 

The girl's eyes widened and she nodded. 

Raditz looked down at the massed warbots from the newly-created pinnacle of earth on which he stood. All around him was a crater lined with glassy, fused earth, dug out of the side of the ravine by the massed fire of the robots. He had only a fraction of a second before they fired again. 

"KI-AII!" Energy flashed from both hands, shattering the armored crab-bots and disintegrating the smaller ones entirely. 

"<Where does this go?>" Raditz indicated the tunnel. 

"<I do not know. This is a bad place, always too many robots to hunt. Who are you? Did Peree send you?>" The girl looked up at Raditz warily. 

Raditz looked at her a bit more closely. She had the same gaunt, half-starved look that Perejil's ghost had had--more, she was naked and caked in mud. Her hair was stiff with it--but her ki was healthy, and she was a Saiyan. A Saiyan _girl_ , about eight or nine from the look of her. 

Raditz considered his next words. "<I met Perejil. You are Zana, his sister?>" 

Zana's face brightened. "<I am! Do you know--did he--where is the witch?>" 

Raditz stared down the dark tunnel. "<Naranja chased Perejil to Earth, where I came from. She caused a great deal of trouble there, and killed your brother. I came here to stop her machines... and maybe find you.>" He squinted. If he'd read Naranja's journals right... this was _The Base_. The home of the central computer. The grave of Lord Col. 

" <You are.. stronger.. than the witch?>" Zana looked hopeful. "<Stronger than the machines?>" 

Raditz smirked. "<I'm the strongest thing that ever came to this planet, child.>" He looked at the deep, dark tunnel, thinking of Naranja, and Kinoko, and Lord Col and Frieza's henchmen. "<Now I'm going to prove it.>" 

* * *

Nezumi watched the planet from low orbit. She'd stopped pacing to sit on her hands--after all these years, she wasn't going to start biting her nails again! All she could do was wait until Raditz gave her the all-clear. Sure, the explosions had stopped about an hour ago, but who knows what would pop up next? 

The flash and explosion below startled her into a shriek. Her jaw dropped as the massive cloud bellowed up into a terrible, familiar mushrooom shape. 

Her heart sank. "Raditz! You bastard, don't you dare leave me out in the middle of nowhere a zillion light-years from earth!" Nezumi screamed at the viewscreen. "Don't you dare be dead! Don't you dare--" 

* * *

Thousands of light-years from Jinkousei, every hyperwave communicator on the Jinkouseian fleet went dead. Origin had stopped transmitting. 

* * *

BEEP! 

The communicator light was on, though all Nezumi could hear was static at first. 

"Raditz to Nezumi, come in." 

She slammed her fist against the 'press-to-talk' button. "RADITZ! You survived that?" 

Silence. "Say again? Never mind, it's all clear now. Land back where you were before. We have some cargo and a passenger." 

Nezumi blinked. A passenger? "Aye-aye, Captain." 

* * *

"Father? FATHER!" Gohan shouted as he flew toward the scene of the massive explosion. His heart sank, he couldn't sense Goku anywhere. 

A scrap of orange caught his eye; he swerved and swooped low over the waves. There! Gohan dove, grabbed a handful of orange tunic, and dragged his semi-conscious father to the surface. 

Goku sputtered and coughed. "Wow! I didn't expect such a big bang!" 

"Dad! You're all right!" Eyes calmed to brown, hair to black. 

Goku shook his head uncertainly. "My hearing's not so good." 

"And... Naranja?" 

Goku looked around and shook his head. "She was too close to the bombs." 

* * *

Raditz and Zana dragged another pair of bundles to the courtyard. Raditz refused to leave Lechuge, or Patata, or even Lord Col to rot on this cursed world. Let their bones rest in the welcoming soil of Earth, and perhaps their spirits as well. 

Zana was not so easily dealt with. Of course, she must return to Earth--but she was Saiyan, raised as a Saiyan. Too young, too feral to be on her own on a strange inhabited world--but who could raise her? Goku had two of his own, though his influence would surely gentle her. Vegeta... no. He trained his son, but it was truly Bulma who raised Trunks. 

Raditz found her. Zana was Raditz's responsibility--but he didn't know anything about little girls! What the hell was he going to do with her? First things first. He couldn't have her killing Nezumi or anyone else by mistake, or in a fit of anger. 

"<Zana, wait.>" Raditz knelt, eye-level with the young girl. She looked at him curiously, dark patient eyes staring into his. 

"<Zana, I've told you a little bit about my brother and Earth, and Prince Vegeta. There's much more you have to learn, including the language. The inhabitants are weaker than we are, more fragile. You have to take care, because they are our allies and not to be hurt.>" The long-haired Saiyan glanced at the sky; the spaceship descended on a plume of smoke and fire. "<She's bringing the ship back now; we'll be leaving soon.>" 

"<She? Your mate?>" Zana's brows arched quizzically. 

"<No! Well... maybe.>" Raditz's tail twitched. If I must be a father, there is only one person I would have as mother to my child. "<Yes! Nezumi is important to me. But she is from Earth, and fragile. You must be careful around her and-- obey Nezumi as you would me, or your own mother. She is weaker only in body--her spirit is very strong indeed.>" 

Zana scowled; "< _Obey_ a weaker creature? >" 

"<Obey my wife.>" And how do I explain this to Nezumi? Raditz smirked to himself, then grinned at the girl. "<And she cooks wonderful food...>" 

Zana's eyes widened; she looked thoughtful. "<That is a good reason!>" She looked back in the direction of the massive crater that had been the Jinkouseian Central Command Bunker "<It is your order, after all. _You_ are very strong indeed, >" she said gravely. 

* * *

"I'M WHAT??" said Nezumi. "You told her WHAT??" 

Raditz winced; the shout hurt his sensitive ears. "I.. well... Zana... I... please?" 

"Are you serious?" Nezumi glared up at Raditz with her hands on her hips. 

"Completely." 

"Would you have asked me if it weren't for Zana?" 

"No." Quickly he added, "I didn't want to intimidate you into something you might not want. With no one to protect you from me on this ship, and me being the way I am, I was afraid you might feel... coerced." 

Nezumi stared at him like he had a squid in his mouth. "Uh, let's see, one, I stowed aboard this ship contrary to your wishes, and two, I hauled your unconscious carcass out of space--real intimidating you were then--and three, I brutally tortured you into taking me with you. At least, you sure acted like I was torturing you when I got a hold of your tail. You sounded like my three-year-old cousin getting a shot at the doctor." She paused for a breath. 

"AND YOU HAVE THE GALL TO THINK I'M SCARED OF YOU?? OR IS IT STUPIDITY?" 

Raditz cringed, hands half-raised as if to shield himself. 

"Umm...." 

"You're really serious?" 

"Um, yes." 

"Mom is never going to believe this!" Nezumi threw her arms up in the air. 

"What's that mean?" Raditz looked nervous. 

Nezumi jumped on Raditz, hugging him. "That means YES, you idiot! Took you long enough to get the hint!" 


	32. Epilogue

Goten looked out the back window of the new house Goku had built for them. It was very much like his old back window, right up to and including the ghostly Saiyan boy sitting on the window sill. 

Perejil looked at Goten wistfully. Goten wondered; something was different. He didn't seem so sad anymore Perejil said something Goten still couldn't understand, and smiled. Bardock loomed behind Perejil outside the window; the wicked scar across his cheek made him look unsettled and dangerous. 

"Goten," said Bardock. "Perejil wants to tell you goodbye. Zana is safe now, and his duty is done." 

Goten sniffed and wiped away a tear. "Goodbye, Perejil. Goodbye, Grandpa!" 

Perejil waved, "Thank you, Goten. Good-Bye." 

And then there was only the night and the wind. 

* * *

Weeks later, the sea finally gave up its plaything, the shattered, half-machine that the deep sea currents and the waves had tossed and rolled. The waves pushed it up onto a deserted beach in a pile of driftwood and flotsam. The tide ebbed away, as if reluctant to abandon its toy. 

Something stirred. Metal shuddered; the robots of Jinkousei built well, back-up system upon back-up system. Scorched and twisted, sustained only by the last back-up thermal cell, what had once been a Saiyan warrior slithered up the beach. Only minute threads of melted gold remained of the once-glittering command net; that inner voice was forever silenced. Only hate remained. 

Something dropped onto the sand near the crawling ruin. A blonde-haired woman, who sunk to her ankles in the sand with more than the weight of a woman stared down at the remnants of Naranja. 

"Took me a while to get a fix on your power-plant, but I did," Eighteen said. "How convenient that they rebuilt you using their own technology-- Bulma had plenty of samples to study after your robot army got wiped out. It didn't take her long to whip up a sensor to find any Jinkouseian bots the boys missed. She didn't trust that you were dead, anymore than I did. You tried to turn Vegeta against her, and there's no forgiving that." 

Her face was cold and hard. "Gohan thinks you're dead, Raditz is too busy with his honeymoon--" She paused as the thing at her feet twitched. "--oh yeah, you failed at even that. Vegeta believed Bulma over your frame-up, and Raditz is back in his good graces. Goku maybe suspects--but he's too good a man. It takes real hatred to hunt a broken enemy for days and weeks, and he'd rather let you go than hold on to that kind of hate." 

Eighteen lifted the battered metallic skull and looked into the one remaining machine eye. "You should never have tried to kill my little girl," Eighteen said as her fist came down. 

* * *

The robot ships had their destination, but no orders for once they got there, save the general directive to defend Origin. No Commander, no Origin Central Computer hailed them. The machines were on their own... and being but machines, with no imagination, all they did once they arrived at Jinkousei was sit and wait for orders that would never come. 

But they defended Origin. While they existed, nothing ever landed on Jinkousei again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Dragonball, Dragonball Z and all the associated DBZ characters (too numerous to list) are the property of Akira Toriyama and a whole lot of other people who are not me; a bunch of other characters belong to others, see http://www.republicofnewhome.org/oldlair/writing/credits.html for details. Everyone else is mine, and this story is mine, too. This is a not-for-profit work.
> 
> Copyright 2002 by Dragoness Eclectic


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